as in standards
something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared
this prize-winning biography will be the benchmark against which all others will be judged in future years
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Recent Examples of benchmarks
Other benchmarks were reduced, which could cause different problems, Worrell said.
—
Camila Gomez, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026
When voter registration statistics appear to exceed plausible eligible-population benchmarks, public confidence erodes, even if there is an administrative explanation.
—Reardon Sullivan, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
Washington and Colorado's programs have run into challenges, including a lack of participation from clinicians, hospitals, and other care providers, as well as insurers' inability to meet rate reduction benchmarks or lower premiums compared with other plans offered on the market.
—Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
Silver Dollar City's own Thunderation has outpaced many industry benchmarks in both longevity and popularity.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026
Despite political fluctuations, the clean economy is now driven by market fundamentals, reaching record-breaking revenues and significantly outperforming fossil fuel benchmarks.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 18 Feb. 2026
Your actual income is measured against those benchmarks to determine whether paying your tax debt would leave you unable to cover necessities.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Some of these models meet global benchmarks and in certain tasks rival widely used large language models, Vaishnaw said.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
Many early childhood education experts rely on the National Institute for Early Education Research’s 10 quality benchmarks to make broad assessments in all states that offer public preschool programs.
—Makiya Seminera, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Camila Gomez, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2026
When voter registration statistics appear to exceed plausible eligible-population benchmarks, public confidence erodes, even if there is an administrative explanation.
—Reardon Sullivan, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
Washington and Colorado's programs have run into challenges, including a lack of participation from clinicians, hospitals, and other care providers, as well as insurers' inability to meet rate reduction benchmarks or lower premiums compared with other plans offered on the market.
—Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez, NPR, 18 Feb. 2026
Silver Dollar City's own Thunderation has outpaced many industry benchmarks in both longevity and popularity.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026
Despite political fluctuations, the clean economy is now driven by market fundamentals, reaching record-breaking revenues and significantly outperforming fossil fuel benchmarks.
—Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 18 Feb. 2026
Your actual income is measured against those benchmarks to determine whether paying your tax debt would leave you unable to cover necessities.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Some of these models meet global benchmarks and in certain tasks rival widely used large language models, Vaishnaw said.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
Many early childhood education experts rely on the National Institute for Early Education Research’s 10 quality benchmarks to make broad assessments in all states that offer public preschool programs.
—Makiya Seminera, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for benchmarks
Noun
-
The Department of Homeland Security has said that the facilities meet federal detention standards and undergo regular audits and inspections.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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Both the Times of London and the Daily Telegraph reviewed Newman’s book poorly, with an air of anti-woke ennui, accusing her of imposing contemporary moral standards on the vices of the past.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
American requests to use UK bases for operational purposes historically have been considered on a case-by-case basis, with precise criteria withheld for security reasons under long-standing agreements.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
For each discipline, 13 countries were drawn, which then had 10 days to nominate judges who met required experience criteria.—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Prototype achieves high capacity and industrial-scale metrics At the core of the prototype is a conductive polymer known as poly(benzodifurandione), or PBFDO.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Feb. 2026
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Owen Lamont, a portfolio manager at Acadian Asset Management and a former University of Chicago finance professor, told Fortune earlier this month that the current picture in markets qualifies as a bubble by three of his four bespoke metrics, with the only missing element being a flood of IPOs.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Benchmarks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/benchmarks. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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