standard

American  

[stan-derd] / ˈstæn dərd /

noun

• standards
  plural

1. something considered by an authority or by general consent as a basis of comparison; an approved model.

   Synonyms:

   guide, pattern, basis, gauge

2. an object that is regarded as the usual or most common size or form of its kind.

   We stock the deluxe models as well as the standards.

3. a rule or principle that is used as a basis for judgment.

   They tried to establish standards for a new philosophical approach.

   Synonyms:

   guide, pattern, basis, gauge

4. an average or normal requirement, quality, quantity, level, grade, etc..

   His work this week hasn't been up to his usual standard.

5. standards, those morals, ethics, habits, etc., established by authority, custom, or an individual as acceptable.

   He tried to live up to his father's standards.

6. a grade of beef immediately below good.

7. the authorized exemplar of a unit of weight or measure.

8. a certain commodity in or by which a basic monetary unit is stated.

9. the legally established content of full-weight coins.

10. the prescribed degree of fineness for gold or silver.

11. British. a class or grade in elementary schools.

12. a musical piece of sufficiently enduring popularity to be made part of a permanent repertoire, especially a popular song.

13. a flag indicating the presence of a sovereign or public official.

14. a flag, emblematic figure, or other object raised on a pole to indicate the rallying point of an army, fleet, etc.

15. Military.

    1. any of various military or naval flags.

    2. the colors of a mounted unit.

    3. Standard, a U.S. Navy radar-guided surface-to-air missile with a range of 10–30 miles (16–48 km).

16. Heraldry. a long, tapering flag or ensign, as of a monarch or a nation.

17. something that stands or is placed upright.

18. a long candlestick or candelabrum used in a church.

19. an upright support or supporting part.

20. Armor. a standing collar of mail.

21. Horticulture. a plant trained or grafted to have a single, erect, treelike stem.

22. Botany. a distinct petal, larger than the rest, of certain flowers; a vexillum.

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adjective

1. serving as a basis of weight, measure, value, comparison, or judgment.

2. of recognized excellence or established authority.

   a standard reference on medieval history.

3. usual, common, or customary.

   Chairs are standard furniture in American households.

4. not electric or automatic; manual.

   standard transmission.

5. conforming in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc., to the usage of most educated native speakers, especially those having prestige, and widely considered acceptable or correct: standard pronunciation.

   Standard American English;

   standard pronunciation.

6. authorized or approved.

   The program was broadcast on the standard broadcast band.

standard British  

/ ˈstændəd /

noun

1. an accepted or approved example of something against which others are judged or measured

2. (often plural) a principle of propriety, honesty, and integrity

   she has no standards

3. a level of excellence or quality

   a low standard of living

4. any distinctive flag, device, etc, as of a nation, sovereign, or special cause

5. 1. any of a variety of naval or military flags

   2. the colours of a cavalry regiment

6. a flag or emblem formerly used to show the central or rallying point of an army in battle

7. a large tapering flag ending in two points, originally borne by a sovereign or high-ranking noble

8. the commodity or commodities in which is stated the value of a basic monetary unit

   the gold standard

9. an authorized model of a unit of measure or weight

10. a unit of board measure equal to 1980 board feet

11. (in coinage) the prescribed proportion by weight of precious metal and base metal that each coin must contain

12. an upright pole or beam, esp one used as a support

13. 1. a piece of furniture consisting of an upright pole or beam on a base or support

    2. ( as modifier )

       a standard lamp

14. 1. a plant, esp a fruit tree, that is trained so that it has an upright stem free of branches

    2. ( as modifier )

       a standard cherry

15. a song or piece of music that has remained popular for many years

16. the largest petal of a leguminous flower, such as a sweetpea

17. (in New Zealand and, formerly, in England and Wales) a class or level of attainment in an elementary school

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adjective

1. of the usual, regularized, medium, or accepted kind

   a standard size

2. of recognized authority, competence, or excellence

   the standard work on Greece

3. denoting or characterized by idiom, vocabulary, etc, that is regarded as correct and acceptable by educated native speakers Compare nonstandard informal

4. (formerly) (of eggs) of a size that is smaller than large and larger than medium

Synonym Usage

Standard, criterion refer to the basis for making a judgment. A standard is an authoritative principle or rule that usually implies a model or pattern for guidance, by comparison with which the quantity, excellence, correctness, etc., of other things may be determined: She could serve as the standard of good breeding. A criterion is a rule or principle used to judge the value, suitability, probability, etc., of something, without necessarily implying any comparison: Wealth is no criterion of a person's worth.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prestandard
  noun
• superstandard
  noun
• unstandard
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• standards
  plural

Etymology

Origin of standard

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old French, probably from unattested Frankish standord (compare German Standort “standing-point”), conformed to -ard -ard

Explanation

A standard is an ideal or set of criteria that you use to judge things against. Colleges have certain standards for applicants, like a minimum SAT score or an above average grade point average. If you complain that the soup isn't up to your standard, you're comparing it to an ideal and finding it lacking. (Just don't be surprised if the chef then "accidentally" spills it in your lap.) The economy used to work by the gold standard, where one dollar equaled a fixed amount of gold. A standard can also be a military flag or banner on a pole. Or a popular old song that's considered a classic.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

standard standards

In written submissions, he said the officer accepted that his conduct had fallen "below the standard expected of him", for which he apologised and expressed regret.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

"To see nanoscale structures with standard electron microscopy, we fix and dehydrate the tissues, but freezing them retains their shape -- similar to freezing a grape rather than dehydrating it into a raisin," Watanabe said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

That’s ironic since California’s low-carbon fuel standard was intended to increase production of diesel from non-petroleum sources like vegetable oil and animal fats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Foreign journalists have been subject to a similarly flexible standard that allows them to remain in the country on an open-ended basis, provided that they continue working for the same employer.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

I scour the lab and see the standard oxygen nozzle inside the contained glovebox system.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

The new hiring standards show that is simply not the case anymore, and it makes ordinary people feel less safe.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

While Japan's inflation rate is not high by international standards, rising prices are a relatively new development in the economy.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The Biden administration made long-needed changes to the standards in 2024, including adding a “Middle Eastern or North African” category.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

"Weather respects no borders, and this is especially true for water," Saulo said, arguing for the importance of "shared data, shared standards and shared early warnings".

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

The market began innocently enough, by Wall Street standards.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• code
• ideal
• law
• measure
• model
• norm
• requirement
• rule
• specification
• test