benchmark
noun [ C ]
uk/ˈbenʃmɑːk/ usa level of quality that can be used as a standard against which to compare other things:
Apple's iconic iPhone became the benchmark in the market.
The new report provides a benchmark for food companies around the world.
The catalog industry can discover new opportunities by comparing its own business trends to industry benchmarks.
They set the benchmark for ethical beauty packaging.
The company sets the benchmark against which other businesses make health care decisions.
FINANCE
a share price, interest rate, etc. that other share prices, interest rates, etc. can be compared against:
the benchmark for sth This year the benchmark for iron ore is $60 a tonne.
The Merval stock index, the benchmark measure of Argentina's stock market, rose 8.2% yesterday.
The benchmark price of oil dropped from $59 to $53 per barrel.
IT
a computer program that measures the quality and speed of computer software or hardware (= equipment or electronic parts):
benchmark program/software/test The benchmark tests show that the new machines are only slightly faster.
benchmark
verb
uk/ˈbenʃmɑːk/ us [ T ]
to measure the quality of something by comparing it with something else of an accepted standard:
Being able to benchmark performance is very important for new companies.
The European Parliament has launched a programme to benchmark employment laws across the EU.
[ I or T ]
to use something as a standard in order to improve your own work, products, or processes:
benchmark (sb/sth) against sth The company continues to benchmark against the competition.
The results allow the company to benchmark itself against other organizations and identify areas for improvement.
[ T ] IT
to test the quality and speed of computer software or hardware (= equipment or electronic parts):
Benchmark the speed of your computer.