frame of reference

American  

noun

frames of reference plural

1. a structure of concepts, values, customs, views, etc., by means of which an individual or group perceives or evaluates data, communicates ideas, and regulates behavior.

2. Also called reference frame.  Physics. a framework that is used for the observation and mathematical description of physical phenomena and the formulation of physical laws, usually consisting of an observer, a coordinate system, and a clock or clocks assigning times at positions with respect to the coordinate system.

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frame of reference British  

noun

1. a set of basic assumptions or standards that determines and sanctions behaviour

2. any set of planes or curves, such as the three coordinate axes, used to locate or measure movement of a point in space

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frame of reference Scientific  

/ frām /

1. See reference frame

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• frames of reference
  plural

Etymology

Origin of frame of reference

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

You need to pick art that you think you’re going to enjoy, that speaks to you, that you have a frame of reference for.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Today’s lawmakers looking for a frame of reference may want to read up on the efforts to regulate a questionable trading platform of an earlier era, the “bucket shop.”

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

This is rocking Britain in a way Americans may struggle to fathom if their frame of reference is U.S. public broadcasting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

"I had no frame of reference of what I was getting myself into," Lawrence, 28, told BBC Sport.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2024

I didn’t have much of a frame of reference back then, though.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore