noun
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a measure or standard used for comparison
on what kind of yardstick is he basing his criticism?
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a graduated stick, one yard long, used for measurement
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of yardstick
Explanation
A long tool used to measure lengths of up to three feet is called a yardstick. A carpenter carefully measuring lengths of wood before cutting might use a yardstick. A yardstick is basically a long ruler — three times as long, to be specific — with units marked in inches. Most are made of wood, sometimes hinged so they can be folded, and their size makes them ideal for specific tasks in construction and carpentry. The word yardstick is also used figuratively to mean "standard or benchmark." So you might say that your yardstick for success as a gardener is how many tomatoes you pick over the summer.
Vocabulary lists containing yardstick
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
S. negotiations has been application of the so-called "Hoover Naval Yardstick," a system of evaluating the combatant strengths of fleets in terms of gun power as well as tons.
From Time Magazine Archive
Reports on municipal bonds were to be furnished by a bureau known as the Municipal Yardstick.
From Time Magazine Archive
Expansion Committee New York City Yardstick Sirs: I expect almost any day to find some singer calling herself "the original television girl."
From Time Magazine Archive
Reasons: greatest issue will be public ownership of public utilities and extension of present "Yardstick" undertakings.
From Time Magazine Archive
I know that up until a few years ago, no Yardstick held any public office or government position.
From This Crowded Earth by Bloch, Robert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
