standard

stan·dard | \ ˈstan-dərd

How to pronounce standard (audio)

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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

8a : the large odd upper petal of a papilionaceous flower (as of the pea)

b : one of the three inner usually erect and incurved petals of an iris

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

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

Other Words from standard Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about standard

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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 The two progressive standard-bearers hail from states seen as New Hampshire neighbors. — Fox News, "Biden on Bloomberg: 'I have no problem with him getting in the race'," 9 Nov. 2019 The Elizabeth Line must be completed to the highest safety and quality standards. — Washington Post, "London Crossrail opening date slips again, costs shoot up," 8 Nov. 2019 Well-meaning efforts by federal and state authorities have attempted to address this problem by imposing universal standards on our sprawling, decentralized system of schools from far away. — Matthew Ladner, National Review, "Arizona’s Success with Charter Schools Is a Model Other States Would Be Wise to Follow," 8 Nov. 2019 Phase two of the contract outlines the revenue and profit sharing agreement, in which the city will receive five percent of gross revenues and between 10 and 40 percent of the facility’s net income based upon performance standards. — Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, "A Red Rocks, Hollywood Bowl type venue in Huntsville? That’s the plan," 8 Nov. 2019 The fact bungalow belt aldermen such as Quinn and Thompson are also experiencing problems shows the weakness of the current standards, Smith said. — John Byrne, chicagotribune.com, "Aldermen looking to rework Chicago’s rules on Airbnb, other vacation rentals, to increase power to clamp down on problem operators," 7 Nov. 2019 This collaboration aligned with the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE) physical education and music standards. — Shirley Macfarland, cleveland, "Elementary students ‘Git Up’ to the dance challenge: Talk of the Towns," 7 Nov. 2019 Saie's clean makeup ingredient standards are rigorous. — Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, "Saie is the Clean Makeup Brand You're About to See Everywhere," 7 Nov. 2019 The report dated October 21 said Blowe violated district standards and that Regional Superintendent Sean Tartt recommended Blowe be fired, but Principal Janice Boger recommended she be suspended and receive training on classroom safety. — CBS News, "Chemistry teacher "froze in pure shock" after botched experiment set teen on fire," 7 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The Bavarians are the standard bearers in Germany, and despite Borussia Dortmund's best efforts, continue to reign supreme in terms of pulling power, reputation and trophy winning. — SI.com, "12 Teams Who Have Scored Over 200 Goals in the Champions League," 4 Nov. 2019 The giant-screen exhibitor's commercial theater network grew 9 percent in size, with signings across the U.S., the U.K., France, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Middle East and elsewhere, as Imax remains a standard bearer in the large-format business. — Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, "Imax Earnings Rise on 'Spider-Man,' Asian Hits," 31 Oct. 2019 Asked about al-Baghdadi's body, Milley did not offer specific details, saying only that it had been dealt with in accordance with standard operating procedures. — CBS News, "Al-Baghdadi's death won't rid world of terrorism but serves as warning, Esper says," 28 Oct. 2019 Following standard procedure, the force first tried to persuade the inhabitants to leave the compound, but without success, then blew holes in the walls rather than using the doors or windows. — John Walcott, Time, "Here's How U.S. Forces Finally Tracked Down and Killed al-Baghdadi," 28 Oct. 2019 McGregor has not been charged in either case, though he was arrested in January for an alleged assault that took place in December 2018, questioned, and released pending the investigation – which is standard procedure in Ireland. — Mma Junkie Staff, MMA Junkie, "Report: Conor McGregor investigated for second sexual assault allegation in Ireland," 19 Oct. 2019 Google’s flagship phone also pulls double duty as Android 10’s standard bearer, augmented by three free months of Google One and 100GB of cloud storage. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "Google Pixel 4: The 5 things you really need to know," 15 Oct. 2019 Massachusetts is considering adopting a standard similar to one recently enacted in Vermont, advising residents to avoid drinking water if the concentration of six of the chemicals cumulatively reaches 20 parts per trillion. — BostonGlobe.com, "FRANKLIN — For two years, an abandoned pile of artificial turf had decomposed on a bluff here, a few feet above wetlands that are part of the suburb’s drinking water supply. Nearby, ripped bags with the infill of the turf, tiny pellets of shredded tires, littered the embankment.," 10 Oct. 2019 All of that has some looking to Romney as a possible standard bearer. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Romney ramps up rhetoric on Trump, but what’s his next move?," 5 Oct. 2019

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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Dictionary Entries near standard

stand a chance of

standard atmosphere

standard-bearer

Statistics for standard

Last Updated

12 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for standard

The first known use of standard was in the 12th century

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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

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

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

stan·dard | \ ˈstan-dərd

\

Medical Definition of standard

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

standard

Medical Definition of standard (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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standard

stan·dard

Legal Definition of standard

1 : something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model, example, or point of reference the standard of the reasonable person

2 : something established by authority as a rule for the measure of quantity, weight, extent, value, or quality

3 : the basis of value in a monetary system

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