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 Service staff here operate to the highest standards.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
In recent months, the scrutiny has expanded, with a new layer of fact-checking and standards installed by corporate.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
The Justice Department hasn’t formed the five-member commission that will decide on payout criteria, so there has been no money paid out yet or claims accepted.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
And a few weeks after that, the insurer went even further, changing its coverage policy to include deep brain stimulation for some children and teens who meet clinical criteria.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Both policies tied school funding to standardized test performance, meaning that schools that failed to meet testing benchmarks were recommended for closure and charter conversion.—
Julia McWilliams,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
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Without clear benchmarks, brands waste money on campaigns that might feel successful but don’t move the needle.—
Wyles Daniel
June 4,
Idaho Statesman,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, MongoDB also posted a first-quarter beat for all three metrics.—
Davis Giangiulio,Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
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Framing had been a weakness in Smith’s game in recent seasons, according to Statcast’s catching metrics.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yardsticks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yardsticks. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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