standard

noun

stan·dard | \ ˈstan-dərd

Definition of standard

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a conspicuous object (such as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem

2a : a long narrow tapering flag that is personal to an individual or corporation and bears heraldic devices

b : the personal flag of the head of a state or of a member of a royal family

c : an organization flag carried by a mounted or motorized military unit

d : banner sense 1

3 : something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example : criterion quite slow by today's standards

4 : something set up and established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, weight, extent, value, or quality

5a : the fineness and legally fixed weight of the metal used in coins

b : the basis of value in a monetary system the gold standard

6 : a structure built for or serving as a base or support

7a : a shrub or herb grown with an erect main stem so that it forms or resembles a tree

b : a fruit tree grafted on a stock that does not induce dwarfing

8 or standard petal

a : the upper, large, often lobed petal of a papilionaceous flower (as of a pea or bean plant) : banner sense 6, vexillum sense 3 — compare keel sense 2b, wing sense 2e(2)

b : one of the three inner usually erect and incurved petals of an iris — compare fall sense 3f

9 : a musical composition (such as a song) that has become a part of the standard repertoire

10 : a vehicle with a manual transmission : manual Her new car is a standard.

standard

adjective

Definition of standard (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : constituting or conforming to a standard especially as established by law or custom standard weight

b : sound and usable but not of top quality standard beef

2a : regularly and widely used, available, or supplied standard automobile equipment

b : well-established and very familiar the standard opera

3 : having recognized and permanent value a standard reference work

4 : substantially uniform and well established by usage in the speech and writing of the educated and widely recognized as acceptable standard pronunciation is subject to regional variations

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Choose the Right Synonym for standard

Noun

standard, criterion, gauge, yardstick, touchstone mean a means of determining what a thing should be. standard applies to any definite rule, principle, or measure established by authority. standards of behavior criterion may apply to anything used as a test of quality whether formulated as a rule or principle or not. questioned the critic's criteria for excellence gauge applies to a means of testing a particular dimension (such as thickness, depth, diameter) or figuratively a particular quality or aspect. polls as a gauge of voter dissatisfaction yardstick is an informal substitute for criterion that suggests quantity more often than quality. housing construction as a yardstick of economic growth touchstone suggests a simple test of the authenticity or value of something intangible. fine service is one touchstone of a first-class restaurant

Examples of standard in a Sentence

Noun By modern standards, the house is just too small. This book is the standard by which all others must be judged. Adjective a window of standard width The movie was a pretty standard romantic comedy. The word is considered standard.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun An impeachment trial focused on Mr. Trump’s support for a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol this month will test the strength of Republican support for their former standard-bearer. — Andrew Duehren, WSJ, "GOP Sen. Rob Portman Won’t Seek Re-Election in 2022," 25 Jan. 2021 Josh Hart said about the 23-year-old All-Star, who a month ago signed a five-year, $158 million deal to become a standard-bearer in New Orleans. — Scott Kushner, NOLA.com, "Kushner: It's clear who's leading the Pelicans. It's Brandon Ingram. 'He’s that guy'," 28 Dec. 2020 One tricky angle is how to handle a program such as Ohio State — the standard-bearer in terms of finances, viewership and football performance — compared to the balance of the league. — Nathan Baird, cleveland, "Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren seeks unity in 2021, and his voice will be crucial: College football Monday Madness," 21 Dec. 2020 Mitt Romney •It took only eight years for Romney to go from standard-bearer to maverick in his own party. — Tim Fitzpatrick, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Whom would you choose for Utahn of the Year?," 18 Dec. 2020 One prominent Republican who hasn’t hesitated to criticize Trump is Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, who was the party’s unsuccessful presidential standard-bearer in 2012. — W. James Antle Iii, Washington Examiner, "Republicans recognizing that finishing with Trump is not the end of Trumpism," 17 Dec. 2020 Lai is revered by many as a standard-bearer of the Hong Kong democracy movement. — Jadyn Sham And Helen Regan, CNN, "Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai charged under national security law," 11 Dec. 2020 A mere two weeks later, he was offered a full-time job at the French standard-bearer and ditched his plan to return to medical school. — Washington Post, "Our favorite cookbooks of 2020," 9 Dec. 2020 The worst of them could still easily dispatch a casual player on a basement table, but the overall standard of play is firmly below the world’s professional leagues and international competitions. — New York Times, "Think Americans Wouldn’t Wager on Russian Table Tennis? Care to Bet?," 25 Jan. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Rear-wheel drive is standard, but BMW offers its xDrive all-wheel drive system as an option on both models. — Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, "Best New Convertibles of 2021," 20 Feb. 2021 Others see it as the use of 21st-century technology in the standard investigative procedure. — Grant Gross, Washington Examiner, "Police department uses Ring video to investigate crimes tied to Black Lives Matter protests," 18 Feb. 2021 Both fuel economy and electric-vehicle ranges are calculated using a standard test procedure. — Wes Siler, Outside Online, "Why You Don't Want the Electric Mercedes Sprinter Van," 18 Dec. 2020 United Launch Alliance ended its webcast and ascent commentary moments after the second stage engine ignited and the rest of the flight was carried out in public silence, standard procedure for classified missions. — William Harwood, CBS News, "After string of delays, Delta 4 rocket launches classified spy satellite," 10 Dec. 2020 My mother popped a fresh pot of drugstore face wax into the high-set microwave, a standard going-out beauty procedure. — Bindu Bansinath, Bon Appétit, "After a Life-Changing Injury, I Had to Eat to Heal," 8 Dec. 2020 That is standard procedure in school districts in the area. — Anna Kim, chicagotribune.com, "Franklin Park elementary School District 86 increases tax levy," 8 Dec. 2020 Based on standard procedure, U.S. border officials would determine at the point of entry how long the visitor can stay. — New York Times, "U.S. Tightens Visa Rules for Chinese Communist Party Members," 3 Dec. 2020 None of the officers was injured, and all those involved will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure. — Kim Hyatt, Star Tribune, "St. Paul police shoot man after domestic dispute call in North End," 29 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'standard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Standard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standard. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for standard

standard

noun

English Language Learners Definition of standard

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a level of quality, achievement, etc., that is considered acceptable or desirable

: ideas about morally correct and acceptable behavior

: something that is very good and that is used to make judgments about the quality of other things

standard

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of standard (Entry 2 of 2)

: regularly and widely used, seen, or accepted : not unusual or special

: generally accepted and used because of high quality or excellence

: accepted and used by most of the educated speakers and writers of a language

See the full definition for standard in the English Language Learners Dictionary

standard

noun

stan·dard | \ ˈstan-dərd

Kids Definition of standard

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : something set up as a rule for measuring or as a model a standard of weight “There have to be standards. We can't have kids walking around saying ‘ain't’ …”— Andrew Clements, Frindle

2 : the personal flag of the ruler of a state

3 : an upright support a lamp standard

4 : a figure used as a symbol by an organized body of people

standard

adjective

Kids Definition of standard (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : used as or matching a model or rule to compare against standard weight

2 : regularly and widely used It's a standard practice in the trade. The script is standard … and so are the costumes …— Barbara Robinson, Best Christmas Pageant

3 : widely known and accepted to be of good and permanent value The book is a standard reference work on grammar.

standard

noun

stan·dard | \ ˈstan-dərd