yardstick
noun
yard·stick
ˈyärd-ˌstik 
1
a
: a graduated measuring stick three feet (0.9144 meter) long
b
: a standard basis of calculation
a yardstick for measuring astronomical distances
2
: a standard for making a critical judgment : criterion
measured by the yardstick of her first book
was a great success by any yardstick
Examples of yardstick in a Sentence
Some feel that test scores aren't an adequate yardstick for judging a student's ability.
Ratings are the yardstick by which TV shows are evaluated by networks.
Recent Examples on the Web
Remember, the Realtor yardstick assumes buyers spend 30% of their income based on a mortgage with a 20% down payment, with an additional 1.4% of the purchase price going toward property taxes and insurance.
—
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 13 May 2025
Funds from operations, a standard financial yardstick at real estate companies, reached $1.1 billion, or $2.95 per diluted share, for the first quarter, compared with $1.09 billion, or $2.91 per diluted share in the prior year.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 13 May 2025
To be fair, this payment yardstick is off 2% in a year.
—Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register, 17 Jan. 2025
The photo highlights the relative youth of human civilization by showing a 2,500-year-old temple that is ancient by the yardstick of human lives, alongside the 4.5 billion-year-old disk of Earth's moon, which has watched over humanity since our ancestors emerged from the oceans.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for yardstick
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Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 13 May 2025
Funds from operations, a standard financial yardstick at real estate companies, reached $1.1 billion, or $2.95 per diluted share, for the first quarter, compared with $1.09 billion, or $2.91 per diluted share in the prior year.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 13 May 2025
To be fair, this payment yardstick is off 2% in a year.
—Jonathan Lansner, Orange County Register, 17 Jan. 2025
The photo highlights the relative youth of human civilization by showing a 2,500-year-old temple that is ancient by the yardstick of human lives, alongside the 4.5 billion-year-old disk of Earth's moon, which has watched over humanity since our ancestors emerged from the oceans.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for yardstick
Cite this Entry
“Yardstick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yardstick. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
yardstick
noun
yard·stick
-ˌstik
1
: a measuring stick a yard long
2
: a rule or standard by which something is measured
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