as in standard
something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared
the gold standard for accurate experimental procedures is the double-blind medication trial
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Recent Examples of gold standard
But prenups themselves are not the only gold standard.
—
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Garza dismissed the case against Krycia and, in exchange, the officer agreed to train cadets on gold standard use-of-force techniques at the Austin Police Academy.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026
The Post’s book coverage—chiefly via the beloved Book World section—has long been a gold standard in the industry.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026
Decades later, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions remains a gold standard for Arctic exploration, with deep regional expertise across Svalbard, Greenland, Arctic Canada and the Northwest Passage.
—Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gold standard
The New Yorker, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Garza dismissed the case against Krycia and, in exchange, the officer agreed to train cadets on gold standard use-of-force techniques at the Austin Police Academy.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026
The Post’s book coverage—chiefly via the beloved Book World section—has long been a gold standard in the industry.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 4 Feb. 2026
Decades later, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions remains a gold standard for Arctic exploration, with deep regional expertise across Svalbard, Greenland, Arctic Canada and the Northwest Passage.
—Laura Begley Bloom, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for gold standard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gold standard
Noun
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One wonders, though, if the rules--the standards, the best practices--were followed when the Tomahawk was launched.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Over the ensuing 10 months, the Vatican undertook extensive renovations to the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, which hadn’t been used during Francis’ 12-year papacy and was in dire need of an update to bring its electric, plumbing and other utilities up to standard.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The White House officials said federal agencies can incorporate best practices on housing regulations as a criteria for rewarding discretionary grants to state and local governments.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
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The criteria for gubernatorial candidates to participate considered opinion polling and campaign fund raising.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, has retreated from the near-$120 per barrel seen earlier in the week, as the International Energy Agency agreed on Wednesday to release a record 400 million barrels of oil from its emergency reserves.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trading around $87-plus per barrel yesterday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gold standard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gold%20standard. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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