benchmark

1 of 2

noun

bench·​mark ˈbench-ˌmärk 

1

a

: something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged

a stock whose performance is a benchmark against which other stocks can be measured

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

benchmark

2 of 2

verb

benchmarked; benchmarking; benchmarks

transitive verb

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

Noun

• bar
• barometer
• criterion
• gold standard
• grade
• mark
• measure
• metric
• par
• standard
• touchstone
• yardstick

Examples of benchmark in a Sentence

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

Noun

Anthropic Roughly speaking, the visual benchmarks mean that 3.5 Sonnet is better at pulling information from images than previous models. —Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024

According to Amazon, in May, the open rate from its organic customer traffic surpassed the industry QR code benchmarks. —Alexandra Pastore, WWD, 17 June 2024

Verb

As a result, companies, including Anthropic, can pick and choose which benchmarks to use, and which benchmarks to throw out. —Michael Kan, PCMAG, 20 June 2024

Because many American funds benchmark their investments to those same indexes, billions of U.S. dollars automatically flow to Chinese companies, including those that Washington has sanctioned or subjected to export controls. —Matt Pottinger, Foreign Affairs, 23 Aug. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1952, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

benchmark

noun

1

usually bench mark : a mark on a permanent object indicating elevation and serving as a reference in geological surveys

2

: something (as a test) that can be used as a standard to check other things (as computer programs) against