standardize

verb

stan·​dard·​ize ˈstan-dər-ˌdīz How to pronounce standardize (audio)
standardized; standardizing; standardizes

transitive verb

1
: to bring into conformity with a standard especially in order to assure consistency and regularity
trying to standardize testing procedures
There ought to be a law standardizing the controls for hot and cold in hotel and motel showers.Andrew A. Rooney
These rectangular steel boxes, first used about fifty years ago, revolutionized the transportation of freight by standardizing the size and shape of the container, enabling it to be moved seamlessly from boat and barge to rail or truck.James McCommons
2
: to compare with a standard : to determine the strength, value, or quality of (something) by comparison with a standard
standardize a solution
standardize a voltmeter
standardization noun

Examples of standardize in a Sentence

He standardized procedures for the industry. the plan is to standardize the test for reading comprehension so that we can see how students across the state compare
Recent Examples on the Web Collaborating with industry peers to standardize attribution models and investing in AI technologies that respect privacy concerns are crucial. Gary Drenik, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 This allowed the researchers to determine that poor calibration can affect the device’s measurements and that calibration processes need to be standardized to ensure the device’s proper functioning. Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2023 The Common Core, an effort to standardize grade-level learning across the country, was being rolled out in 2010. Emma Green, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2023 Around the same time, Congress passed the 1980 Refugee Act to standardize resettlement and shift from the community sponsorship model to the professional resettlement agencies that are still active. Emily Frazier, The Conversation, 30 Aug. 2023 An app for that One recommendation the NTSB makes is for all car manufacturers to standardize their emergency response guides, known as ERGs, for first responders. Ash-Har Quraishi, Aparna Zalani, Ryan Beard, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2023 The redesign was not related to the lawsuits and was part of an effort to standardize the company’s cans, Conagra said. Claire Savage, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2023 Dreher and his colleagues go behind the scenes of this multiyear, cross-national effort to collect and standardize these data from a wide variety of sources. Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023 The two went to work, transcribing the poems, making editorial decisions about word choice, adding titles, standardizing punctuation, and organizing the verse by theme. Martha Ackmann, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'standardize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of standardize was in 1792

Dictionary Entries Near standardize

Cite this Entry

“Standardize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standardize. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

standardize

verb
stan·​dard·​ize ˈstan-dərd-ˌīz How to pronounce standardize (audio)
standardized; standardizing
: to compare with or make agree with a standard
standardization noun

Medical Definition

standardize

transitive verb
stan·​dard·​ize
variants also British standardise
standardized also British standardised; standardizing also British standardising
1
: to reduce to or compare with a standard
standardize a solution
2
: to bring into conformity with a standard
3
: to arrange or order the component items of a test (as of intelligence or personality) so that the probability of their eliciting a designated class of response varies with some quantifiable psychological or behavioral attribute, function, or characteristic
standardization noun
also British standardisation

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