frame of reference

noun

plural

frames of reference 

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.

frame of reference

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

frame of reference

1. See reference frame

Word History and Origins

Origin of frame of reference¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

I didn’t know how much I was learning because I had no frame of reference for any of it.

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The frames of reference were, in retrospect, incompatible.

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If Leno had something to offer beyond an outdated frame of reference, he’d have a streaming series like O’Brien or Letterman.

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At that time, their frame of reference came mostly from online images.

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But something even more momentous was about to shift the playwright’s frame of reference.

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