baseline

noun, often attributive base·line \ ˈbās-ˌlīn \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

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

2 a : 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

See baseline defined for English-language learners

See baseline defined for kids

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

Where Magic Johnson and Luke Walton chop it up on the baseline during another.

— greg moore, azcentral, "Moore: Will Vegas get an NBA team? Question more 'when' than 'whether'," 11 July 2018
Peru Fighting Back Advincula on the baseline for Peru.

— christopher clarey, New York Times, "36 Years and No World Cup Goals: Peru Eliminated by France," 22 June 2018
Purdue’s next possession, now 34.5 seconds separating the Boilermakers from victory, Mathias sprints around a double-screen on the baseline, flares to the right corner and launches a dagger.

— jake fischer, SI.com, "Dakota Mathias's Skill Set Doesn't Stop at the Three-Point Line," 14 June 2018
Then Tony Snell drove baseline and had a pass stolen by Shane Larkin.

— matt velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Celtics 112, Bucks 96: Season ends with a whimper," 28 Apr. 2018
Villanova's Collin Gillespie drove baseline on Vick.

— jesse newell, kansascity, "How 155 painful seconds summarized KU's loss to Villanova | The Kansas City Star," 31 Mar. 2018
With 12 seconds left, Bree Salenbien drove baseline and drew a foul.

— mick mccabe and brandon folsom, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan high school girls basketball: State semifinal results," 15 Mar. 2018
Down 63-62, Watson drove baseline and Montana’s defender sucked in.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Brian Dutcher's bold move that got SDSU to the NCAA Tournament," 13 Mar. 2018
Jones stopped the run after driving baseline for a big two-handed dunk but was whistled for a technical foul after what appeared to be taunting.

— josh preston, NOLA.com, "John Curtis 70, Country Day 64: Donell Jones' double-double pushes Patriots to upset win," 14 Feb. 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.

First Known Use of baseline

circa 1556

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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baseline Synonyms

BASELINE Defined for English Language Learners

baseline

noun

Definition of baseline for English Language Learners

: information that is used as a starting point by which to compare other information
: a line at either end of the playing area in games like basketball and tennis
baseball : either one of the lines that lead from home plate to first base and third base