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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 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
  1. standards
  2. criteria
  3. benchmarks
  4. metrics
Noun
  • This could simplify operations for carriers that operate aircraft with both engine standards.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The Senate has been addressing this week nominee confirmations and a bipartisan college sports bill to create standards on how athletes are paid, priorities that Republicans warn present poor optics to voters.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of standards
Noun
  • Earlier this summer, CalMatters reported only one research institute in California appeared to meet the criteria included in the measure for the nonprofit that would be awarded half the bond proceeds.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The company has since been working on separate criteria for reporting cases that do not qualify as conventional security incidents.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of criteria
Noun
  • The team said its coring efficiency, sample quality, and operational stability reached advanced IODP benchmarks.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The method substantially improved performance on two low-light benchmarks, although the broader challenge is far from solved.
    — Bo Wang, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of benchmarks
Noun
  • Different metrics, from profitability to market share, could yield a different result to the question.
    — John Liu, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Population metrics aside, there’s a German word that goes a long way toward explaining why so many people seem to enjoy watching the Cowboys every fall—especially when Dallas is on the wrong end of a loss.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of metrics

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yardstick
yardsticks
yarn
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Cite this Entry

“Yardsticks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yardsticks. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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