reference point
Americannoun
-
something used as a comparison to aid in evaluation or understanding.
-
a particular physical location used to navigate an area or find an object.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Use the 4% rule as a reference point, rather than have it be the full plan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
The “standard” anatomy shown in textbooks is therefore best understood not as a universal blueprint, but as a simplified reference point within a wide biological range.
From Science Daily • Jun. 21, 2026
To find a way in, Hart and Jones started with their familiar reference point: David Bowie.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2026
There may be a time in the World Cup when a low target needs to be chased much quicker and England would have a useful reference point to fall back upon.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
The sun was low in the sky and surrounded as I was by trees, I had no reference point to tell me whether it was rising or setting.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
