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bench·mark
ˈbench-ˌmärk 
1
b
: a point of reference from which measurements may be made
c
: a standardized problem or test that serves as a basis for evaluation or comparison (as of computer system performance)
2
usually bench mark
: a mark on a permanent object (such as a concrete post set into the ground) indicating elevation and serving as a reference in topographic surveys and tidal observations
benchmarked; benchmarking; benchmarks
business
: to study (something, such as a competitor's product or business practices) in order to improve the performance of one's own company
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Noun
a stock whose performance is a benchmark against which other stocks can be measured
this prize-winning biography will be the benchmark against which all others will be judged in future years
Recent Examples on the Web
Karla Adam, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2023
That in turn can disrupt corporate bond issuers who use government bond yields as a benchmark, officials and economists say.
—Megumi Fujikawa, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2023
Trading strategies that exploit this phenomenon have consistently delivered excess returns relative to bitcoin, which the researchers used as a benchmark.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 17 Jan. 2023
Using California’s maximum allowable dose level (MADL) as a benchmark, the publication said just five popular dark chocolate bars contained acceptable levels of lead and/or cadmium, while nearly two dozen did not.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 7 Jan. 2023
This approach will ensure that fluctuations in the market price, using the International Energy Agency’s price as a benchmark, will be followed by fluctuations in the price cap.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2022
Bot Sentinel is largely trained with tweets from users that Twitter has already deemed problematic, using Twitter’s own policies as a benchmark.
—WIRED, 1 Oct. 2022
As a benchmark, utilities typically cite bills for residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month.
—Jim Saunders, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2022
The All-Pro defensive tackle agrees to a six-year, $135 million deal, which surpasses Von Miller’s contract in Denver as the new benchmark for defenders.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Tom Davenport, Forbes, 13 June 2022
Companies often then buy data sets listing salaries at rivals or in an industry as a whole in an attempt to benchmark pay to others.
—Chip Cutter, WSJ, 1 Nov. 2022
Today there is no way to hold the country’s 6,000 hospitals accountable and benchmark their performance.
—Karen Pennar, STAT, 27 Oct. 2022
This digital twin technology can also serve as an interactive medium for an individual to benchmark their accomplishments, set learning agendas, track their performance, create accountability and more.
—John Kao, Forbes, 8 June 2022
Additional tests of the Arc A770 and Arc A750 revolved around games that are tricky to benchmark but turned up decent-enough performance.
—Sam Machkovech And Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 5 Oct. 2022
That enables our CEOs and CFOs to benchmark against their peer group.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2022
The suit alleges that while researching other homes to benchmark against the plaintiff's home, the appraiser ignored nearby sales in majority-white areas, similar to the plaintiff's, that had higher values.
—CBS News, 22 Aug. 2022
Audit committees should make use of external consultants to assist the company benchmark itself against its peers, and against the standards used by ESG raters.
—Simone Grimes, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2022
See More
Noun
The monarch isn’t paid out of the profits of the Crown Estate, that’s just used as the benchmark.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2023
That in turn can disrupt corporate bond issuers who use government bond yields as a benchmark, officials and economists say.
—Megumi Fujikawa, WSJ, 17 Jan. 2023
Trading strategies that exploit this phenomenon have consistently delivered excess returns relative to bitcoin, which the researchers used as a benchmark.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 17 Jan. 2023
Using California’s maximum allowable dose level (MADL) as a benchmark, the publication said just five popular dark chocolate bars contained acceptable levels of lead and/or cadmium, while nearly two dozen did not.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 7 Jan. 2023
This approach will ensure that fluctuations in the market price, using the International Energy Agency’s price as a benchmark, will be followed by fluctuations in the price cap.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2022
Bot Sentinel is largely trained with tweets from users that Twitter has already deemed problematic, using Twitter’s own policies as a benchmark.
—WIRED, 1 Oct. 2022
As a benchmark, utilities typically cite bills for residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month.
—Jim Saunders, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2022
The All-Pro defensive tackle agrees to a six-year, $135 million deal, which surpasses Von Miller’s contract in Denver as the new benchmark for defenders.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2022
Verb
The scores are used to help investors decide whether to investigate a company or not, and then to benchmark investigated companies against each other.
—Tom Davenport, Forbes, 13 June 2022
Companies often then buy data sets listing salaries at rivals or in an industry as a whole in an attempt to benchmark pay to others.
—Chip Cutter, WSJ, 1 Nov. 2022
Today there is no way to hold the country’s 6,000 hospitals accountable and benchmark their performance.
—Karen Pennar, STAT, 27 Oct. 2022
This digital twin technology can also serve as an interactive medium for an individual to benchmark their accomplishments, set learning agendas, track their performance, create accountability and more.
—John Kao, Forbes, 8 June 2022
Additional tests of the Arc A770 and Arc A750 revolved around games that are tricky to benchmark but turned up decent-enough performance.
—Sam Machkovech And Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 5 Oct. 2022
That enables our CEOs and CFOs to benchmark against their peer group.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2022
The suit alleges that while researching other homes to benchmark against the plaintiff's home, the appraiser ignored nearby sales in majority-white areas, similar to the plaintiff's, that had higher values.
—CBS News, 22 Aug. 2022
Audit committees should make use of external consultants to assist the company benchmark itself against its peers, and against the standards used by ESG raters.
—Simone Grimes, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2022
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'benchmark.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near benchmark
Cite this Entry
“Benchmark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/benchmark. Accessed 7 Feb. 2023.
More from Merriam-Webster on benchmark
Nglish: Translation of benchmark for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of benchmark for Arabic Speakers
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