frame of reference

American  

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.

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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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Etymology

Origin of frame of reference

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

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

Its frame of reference runs deeper, and it looks for inspiration in such modernist masterpieces as I.M.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2025

If Leno had something to offer beyond an outdated frame of reference, he’d have a streaming series like O’Brien or Letterman.

From Salon • Jul. 31, 2025

While Madison's frame of reference was instinctively political, and idealized the dispersal of power naturally checked by the inherent diversity of diffused interest groups, Hamilton’s cast of mind was instinctively economic.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis