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
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
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
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
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
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
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
-
The service Generations of LMR ownership have upheld high standards for property staff to deliver top-notch western hospitality.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
-
The group said Skydive Kansas City adheres to the safety standards set by the largest skydiving organization in the world, including all maintenance requirements established by the FAA.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Noun
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Additional social media apps that meet the criteria can be added to the ban, the premier said.—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
11 Dec. 2025
-
But with the current criteria and format, that’s always going to happen, especially with Group of Five champions earning automatic bids.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Ohio pays nursing homes a daily rate for Medicaid residents and provides additional payments to facilities that meet certain quality benchmarks.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Separate asset-class teams fill each bucket and try to beat individual benchmarks.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
11 June 2026
Noun
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These metrics are presented as a solution to performance variances often observed in other battery chemistries under extreme weather conditions.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
-
Most organizations do not have clear metrics for leadership performance, and most L&D teams aren’t measuring the impact of their programs.—
Lavinia Mehedintu,
Big Think,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Yardsticks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yardsticks. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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