reference point
noun
: something that is used to judge or understand something else
The professor used the study as a reference point for evaluating and discussing other theories.
Examples of reference point in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The system also works with the Nest smart home family of tools, offering a reference point for people trying to locate a product in their home.
—
Chris Morris, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
That gives scientists a longer reference point to evaluate what temperatures were like before fossil fuels became popular.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 5 Feb. 2024
Complex rules govern the discipline of taxonomy, and typically a specimen must be designated as a reference point when it’s first named.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Judging who wins and loses in war is incredibly murky, and people may make their determinations by comparing the battlefield result with a (somewhat arbitrary) reference point—their expectations.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024
Archaeologists did not specify how tall the newfound tomb is but the roughly 30-foot-tall Queen’s Tomb next to it serves as a reference point.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024
This is actually the mean solar day, which uses the center of the sun’s disk as a reference point and is an average of every day of the year.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024
Nostalgia was a common reference point this season, too, though interpreted in a myriad of ways.
—Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
Another reference point for the Oracle accord is the US Labor Department’s unsuccessful 2017 case against the company.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2024
Chris Morris, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
That gives scientists a longer reference point to evaluate what temperatures were like before fossil fuels became popular.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 5 Feb. 2024
Complex rules govern the discipline of taxonomy, and typically a specimen must be designated as a reference point when it’s first named.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Judging who wins and loses in war is incredibly murky, and people may make their determinations by comparing the battlefield result with a (somewhat arbitrary) reference point—their expectations.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024
Archaeologists did not specify how tall the newfound tomb is but the roughly 30-foot-tall Queen’s Tomb next to it serves as a reference point.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024
This is actually the mean solar day, which uses the center of the sun’s disk as a reference point and is an average of every day of the year.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024
Nostalgia was a common reference point this season, too, though interpreted in a myriad of ways.
—Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
Another reference point for the Oracle accord is the US Labor Department’s unsuccessful 2017 case against the company.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reference point.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near reference point
Cite this Entry
“Reference point.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reference%20point. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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