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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Recent Examples of yardsticks
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
The gauge is based on short interest, margin debt, sentiment surveys and several other yardsticks used to gauge what investors are thinking and doing.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 17 Nov. 2025
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
These are demographic, livability and financial yardsticks in which California sits amongst the top 10 states.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 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
Traditional yardsticks like revenue and profit matter less than the company’s ETH stash.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Alex Jovanovich, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
The gauge is based on short interest, margin debt, sentiment surveys and several other yardsticks used to gauge what investors are thinking and doing.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 17 Nov. 2025
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
These are demographic, livability and financial yardsticks in which California sits amongst the top 10 states.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 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
Traditional yardsticks like revenue and profit matter less than the company’s ETH stash.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yardsticks
Noun
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Can software alone meet safety standards once defined by mechanical systems?—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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The Downey Fire Department rescue vehicle that responded was not equipped with a Tremco anti-theft locking device required under state law and applicable Fire Department standards, the family’s attorneys argue.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
9 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
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A good deal for flights from major US cities to Europe this summer would be $600 roundtrip and about $900 roundtrip from smaller cities, according to Going's data—helpful benchmarks to keep in mind when researching and comparing fares.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
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Natural gas, jet fuel and international oil benchmarks have also jumped significantly.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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There is a tendency at this time of the year to blind-resume compare – to throw up two schools with all their metrics and argue who does and doesn’t belong in the tournament.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
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More research is needed to prove these metrics are valid and reliable enough to be used in patient care, the APA’s paper said, and other researchers have raised questions about how their use could affect health care costs, insurance coverage, and patient privacy.—
Jamie Ducharme,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yardsticks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yardsticks. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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