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 linesb : 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 of baseline from the Web
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Kevin Schug, a chemist at UTA who has been involved in other studies involving hydraulic fracturing and pollution, will conduct baseline studies of ground and surface water quality in the geologically complex Alpine High resource play.
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At 1-all in the third set — del Potro took the first, then lost the second — there was the startling way Almagro paused at the baseline, placed his hands on his knees and shook his head, then fell backward onto the court.
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The 2016 GAO report congratulated NASA for slowing budget creep in recent years, but attributed it only in part to new project management tools, with the rest of the credit going to rising baseline estimates that hide percentage-wise growth.
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That was just doubling down on affirming our common humanity, which is really a kind of baseline for all creativity.
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Slicing, dicing, flailing a one-hander and making whimsical decisions during points, Schiavone offered a singular game and a ferocious contrast to baseline bashing.
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Maya Moore missed her first seven field goals and finally got a baseline jumper to fall with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter.
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The dispute spilled over into the funding formula negotiations when Democrats argued that some of the special block grant money should count in CPS' guaranteed baseline under the new formula.
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The baseline MC-21, known as the MC-21-300, can carry 211 passengers and fly 3,200 nautical miles.
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.
First Known Use of baseline
circa 1556
BASELINE Defined for English Language Learners
baseline
playDefinition of baseline for English Language Learners
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: information that is used as a starting point by which to compare other information
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: a line at either end of the playing area in games like basketball and tennis
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baseball : either one of the lines that lead from home plate to first base and third base
Medical Dictionary
baseline
playMedical Definition of baseline
: a set of critical observations or data used for comparison or a control
Learn More about baseline
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See words that rhyme with baseline Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for baseline Nglish: Translation of baseline for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of baseline for Arabic speakers
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