yardstick

American  

[yahrd-stik] / ˈyɑrdˌstɪk /

noun

1. a stick a yard long, commonly marked with subdivisions, used for measuring.

2. any standard of measurement or judgment.

   Test scores are not the only yardstick of academic achievement.

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yardstick British  

/ ˈjɑːdˌstɪk /

noun

1. a measure or standard used for comparison

   on what kind of yardstick is he basing his criticism?

2. a graduated stick, one yard long, used for measurement

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Etymology

Origin of yardstick

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20; yard ¹ + stick ¹

Example Sentences

But it occurred to me—while watching people waiting for gas at Costco—that the usual yardsticks don’t apply.

From The Wall Street Journal

Based on yardsticks such as the price/earnings ratio and enterprise value to free cash flow, the valuation isn’t egregious.

From Barron's

But we all must decide, he added, whether we will use money “as a tool to live a better life” or, tragically, “as a yardstick of status to measure yourself against others.”

From MarketWatch

But we all must decide, he added, whether we will use money “as a tool to live a better life” or, tragically, “as a yardstick of status to measure yourself against others.”

From MarketWatch

Meanwhile, the price of Brent crude, the global yardstick, edged up.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• barometer
• benchmark
• criterion
• indicator
• norm