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 Boards would be well served to keep the succession yardsticks focused on genuine performance metrics rather than fact-free dogma related to CEO age, longevity or tenure. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026 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 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
  • As the industry kept growing, Congress added safety, noise and emissions standards to protect the communities living beneath the flight paths.
    — Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Staff are attentive and helpful without being overly formal, delivering the high standards of a larger hotel with the personal touch of a boutique property.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of standards
Noun
  • Its Cloud Sovereignty Framework assesses providers against 48 criteria covering legal control, data, operations and supply chains.
    — Margot Edelman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Among the criteria are low withdrawal and failure numbers for those students.
    — Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of criteria
Noun
  • Every other function was given tools, processes and benchmarks decades ago.
    — Simon De Baene, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • As in the productivity and content creation tests, the Scar 18 wound up somewhere in the middle for most of our graphics benchmarks.
    — Marshall Honorof, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of benchmarks
Noun
  • Two studies showed significant improvements in obstructive sleep apnea metrics.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Follower counts, views, and shares are other metrics that make social information measurable.
    — Ashwini Nadkarni, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of metrics

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yardstick
yardsticks
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Cite this Entry

“Yardsticks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yardsticks. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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