yardsticks

plural of yardstick
as in standards
something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared this essay will be the yardstick by which I grade the others

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of yardsticks Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers, is following his own yardsticks, and said that the sanguine performance this summer of the S & P 500, which is near all-time highs, has masked a high degree of individual stock volatility. Sarah Min, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 Warsh is also garnering criticism for seemingly suggesting that familiar yardsticks are moving. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026 And according to my scorecard, which averaged grades across five economic yardsticks, Powell’s eight years at the helm earned the second-worst California-centric score compared with the previous four central bank bosses. Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 May 2026 Other yardsticks show a similar trend, such as a March 18 survey commissioned by the California Democratic Party showing the two GOP candidates on top with Swalwell, Porter and Steyer in a three-way tie for third. Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026 The Red Scare period of blacklisting is a case study of the dangers of using political yardsticks to measure journalists. Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026 It is flanked on all sides by footlong rulers (emblazoned, like the yardsticks, with an assortment of penitent phrases including YES, SISTER and NO, SISTER) marking the hours. Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026 In the matter of handmade placards—Magic Marker on cardboard, duct-taped to wooden yardsticks—there was a certain amount of politico-literary one-upmanship. Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025 The machine learning field is moving fast, and the yardsticks used measure progress in it are having to race to keep up. Dina Genkina, IEEE Spectrum, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yardsticks
Noun
  • By North Carolina’s historical standards, the answer should be no, but the bar has been lowered so much that a trip to a bottom-tier bowl feels like a victory.
    Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Though the enrollment trend can be stabilizing to its balance sheet, the district is still performing well by state standards.
    Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Here are the stocks that met that criteria and were also up more than 5% on the week.
    Tobias Burns, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
  • In an interview with USA TODAY, Flock CEO Langley declined to say what specific criteria meet Flock’s internal threshold for unusual activity.
    Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • His greater concern is whether the field is tracking the benchmarks and measures that matter in clinical care delivery.
    Lisa Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Waymo’s own analysis compares its autonomous-driving performance with human-driver benchmarks over equivalent distances in the same operating areas.
    Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Some recall Ternus being able to cite plastic material measurements, drop-test physics equations, or weight metrics for various products—on the spot.
    Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Wolfe Research uses an Earnings Quality (EQ) score, a proprietary measure that factors in seven financial ratios, along with sentiment and valuation metrics.
    Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Yardsticks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yardsticks. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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