Yardstick

//ˈjɑːdˌstɪk// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A measuring rod thirty-six inches (one yard) long.
  2. 2
    a ruler or tape that is three feet long wordnet
  3. 3
    A standard to which other measurements or comparisons are judged. figuratively

    "2008 April 8, Michael R. Gordon and Eric Schmitt, “Attacks in Baghdad spiked in March, U.S. data show”, in International Herald Tribune, 2008 April 8 edition, “Africa & Middle East” section, Attacks against civilians in the capital remained relatively unchanged: 69 in March from 62 in February. ¶ However, another yardstick, the number of civilian deaths tracked by the Iraqi government, shot up last month after several months of decline."

  4. 4
    a measure or standard used for comparison wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
barometerbasisbenchmarkbenchmarkcanoncheck

Example

More examples

"The simplicity, reliability, and effectiveness of their design would make it the yardstick against which all future firearms would be judged."

Etymology

From yard + stick.

Related phrases

Portsmouth yardstick

More for "yardstick"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.