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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The surveys show widespread skepticism that governments can really fix problems like the affordability crisis, rising inequality, declining upward mobility, and stagnating or declining living standards.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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Tesla’s questionable qualifications To qualify for a voucher, manufacturers must obtain a zero-emission powertrain certification showing the vehicle meets certain performance standards.—
Tony Briscoe,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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These are the criteria USA TODAY Network journalists considered while curating our annual Restaurants of the Year list, a selection of dining spots across the country.—
Michael McCarter,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
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Nationwide, more than 46 million people met the criteria for a substance abuse disorder as of 2021, the most recent data available.—
Emma Fenske,
The Conversation,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Heavy selling is starting to put a visible dent in equity benchmarks whose ascent had pushed valuations to some of the highest levels since the 2000 dot-com peak.—
Rita Nazareth,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
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Many early childhood education experts rely on the National Institute for Early Education Research’s 10 quality benchmarks to make broad assessments in all states that offer public preschool programs.—
Makiya Seminera,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There have been all sorts of concerns for a while, including shenanigans around using metrics from SaaS to apply to AI-native companies (that logic is specious at best).—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
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House Bill 1002 also ties utility profits to performance metrics, including affordability and service restoration, and utilities will use a three-year rate plan.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Yardsticks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yardsticks. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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