often attributive
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
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
Synonyms
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 on the Web
Tesla and vehicle safety Tesla began releasing its vehicle safety report in 2018 to establish a baseline for Autopilot’s safety, comparing the miles between accidents in its vehicles based on Autopilot usage (or lack thereof) to the industry’s average.
—
William Gavin, Quartz, 23 May 2024
At our institution, admissions for intensive care to support children with asthma have nearly doubled from the pre-pandemic baseline, and admissions for asthma are up 50% in March and April compared to last year.
—Chén Kenyon, STAT, 16 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for baseline 
William Gavin, Quartz, 23 May 2024
At our institution, admissions for intensive care to support children with asthma have nearly doubled from the pre-pandemic baseline, and admissions for asthma are up 50% in March and April compared to last year.
—Chén Kenyon, STAT, 16 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for baseline
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'baseline.' 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 baseline
Cite this Entry
“Baseline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baseline. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.
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Medical Definition
baseline
noun
base·line
ˈbā-ˌslīn 
: a set of critical observations or data used for comparison or a control
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