baseline

noun, often attributive

base·line | \ ˈbās-ˌlīn

Definition of baseline

1 : a line serving as a basis especially : one of known measure or position used (as in surveying or navigation) to calculate or locate something

2a : either of the lines on a baseball field that lead from home plate to first base and third base and are extended into the outfield as foul lines

b : basepath

3 : a boundary line at either end of a court (as in tennis or basketball)

4 : a usually initial set of critical observations or data used for comparison or a control

5 : a starting point the baseline of this discussion

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Examples of baseline in a Sentence

The experiment is meant only to provide a baseline for other studies. any year or event we use as the baseline for the Renaissance is going to be at least somewhat arbitrary

Recent Examples on the Web

In the initial game — interrupted briefly by a baby wailing in the stands, drawing a laugh from other spectators and prompting Nadal to back away from the baseline between serves — three of the five points lasted at least 11 strokes. — Howard Fendrich, courant.com, "Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem in four sets to win his 12th French Open, 18th career Grand Slam title," 9 June 2019 In the initial game — interrupted briefly by a baby wailing in the stands, drawing a laugh from other spectators and prompting Nadal to back away from the baseline between serves — three of the five points lasted at least 11 strokes. — Howard Fendrich, BostonGlobe.com, "Rafael Nadal continues mastery on the clay, wins 12th French Open title," 9 June 2019 The survey’s initial point, where the meridian and baseline intersect, was established in the West Hills on June 4, 1851. — oregonlive.com, "2019 Rose Festival Treasure Hunt clues explained," 9 June 2019 Grady ended that gap by hitting a baseline floater to give Davidson the lead at 58-57 with 74 seconds to go — and neither team would score again. — Howard Fendrich, Houston Chronicle, "Davidson dancin' after beating Rhode Island in Atlantic 10," 11 Mar. 2018 Grady ended that gap by hitting a baseline floater to give Davidson the lead at 58-57 with 74 seconds to go — and neither team would score again. — BostonGlobe.com, "Davidson upsets Rhode Island, secures NCAA bid," 11 Mar. 2018 The baseline Laramie, in two-wheel drive, starts at $40,790 without all the shiny tack. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "The RAM 1500 Laramie Crew Cab fuses “luxury” and “pickup truck”," 21 Aug. 2018 The baseline records what would happen if nothing is changed and current policies remained the same. — Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, "Rand Paul’s claim that cutting $13 billion a year would balance the budget," 26 Apr. 2018 With the Orange guarding Alford tightly, Hillman looked to Smart, who moved the ball to Thomas on the left baseline. — Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star, "Daryl Thomas has a special place in IU basketball history," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'baseline.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.