yardsticks

noun

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 Boards would be well served to keep the succession yardsticks focused on genuine performance metrics rather than fact-free dogma related to CEO age, longevity or tenure. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026 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 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
  1. standards
  2. criteria
  3. benchmarks
  4. metrics
Noun
  • Professional societies and standards organizations will need to develop and regularly update the technical requirements.
    — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Cornell University’s investigation, of course, did not have to adhere to New York’s arguably archaic criminal standards, but its response, too, has triggered anger and disbelief across airwaves and social media.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of standards
Noun
  • City staff determined the two projects would be competitive for the grant program after reviewing the program criteria and city priorities, according to the staff report.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • You are not required to meet these criteria to be approved for a loan.
    — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of criteria
Noun
  • The PCMark 10 tests were particularly disappointing, as these benchmarks gauge a system's general performance.
    — Marshall Honorof, PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Argon puts Google back in the AI race, with company benchmarks showing particular strength in long-context, coding, and enterprise-agent tasks.
    — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of benchmarks
Noun
  • According to advanced fielding metrics, no player in the league made a bigger defensive contribution to his team than the Braves center fielder, an elite defender with a strong arm who takes clean routes to the ball.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • To measure the impact, Starbucks often looks at metrics including product trials, rewards engagement, customer frequency, transactions, and comparable sales.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of metrics

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yardstick
yardsticks
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Cite this Entry

“Yardsticks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yardsticks. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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