frame of reference

American  

noun

plural

frames of reference

1. a structure of concepts, values, customs, views, etc., by means of which an individual or group perceives or evaluates data, communicates ideas, and regulates behavior.

2. Also called reference frame.  Physics. a framework that is used for the observation and mathematical description of physical phenomena and the formulation of physical laws, usually consisting of an observer, a coordinate system, and a clock or clocks assigning times at positions with respect to the coordinate system.

---

frame of reference British  

noun

1. a set of basic assumptions or standards that determines and sanctions behaviour

2. any set of planes or curves, such as the three coordinate axes, used to locate or measure movement of a point in space

---

frame of reference Scientific  

/ frām /

1. See reference frame

---

Etymology

Origin of frame of reference

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Today’s lawmakers looking for a frame of reference may want to read up on the efforts to regulate a questionable trading platform of an earlier era, the “bucket shop.”

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

But before jumping to a conclusion that F1 has been ruined by what amounts to the biggest rule change in the sport's history, it's important to establish a frame of reference.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

This is rocking Britain in a way Americans may struggle to fathom if their frame of reference is U.S. public broadcasting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

At that time, their frame of reference came mostly from online images.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2025

They seem to have no mathematical frame of reference and no basic understandings on which to build.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos