yardstickyard‧stick /ˈjɑːdˌstɪk $ ˈjɑːrd-/ noun [countable] 
Profit is the most important yardstick of success for any business.as a yardstick These subjects are used as a yardstick against which to measure the children’s progress.2a special stick used for measuring things, which is exactly one yard long
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Many teachers say the primary school tests are not a useful educational yardstick.
- The hospital has developed a treatment for cancer which has become the yardstick for all other treatments.
- I have only one yardstick for a good, loving relationship: does it allow both people to grow and flourish?
- If this yardstick was right then, it is right now.
- It is also most helpful in providing a yardstick for proper administration against which the resolution of problems can be measured.
- No yardstick for the mediocre companies to strive to.
- Sampling the standards Standards proposed for California students are lengthy and detailed, containing dozens of yardsticks for each grade.
- Surely the role of idealism is as a motivating aspiration and a yardstick.
- The criteria in quality assurance are the yardsticks, the predetermined elements against which service or the dietetic objectives can be compared.
Longman Language Activatora standard by which something is judged
a level of quality, skill, achievement etc by which something is judged: · Shakespeare is the standard against which all playwrights must be measured.· Many Europeans who consider themselves to be poor are rich by the standards of some Third World countries.
a set of standards, levels, or degrees against which you can compare and judge things: · On a scale of one to ten, ten being best, his new movie is a two.· The researchers devised a scale to measure people's attitudes toward certain types of behavior.
a standard you use in order to judge people or things, especially one that may be different from the standard used by other people or organizations: · The company's criterion for success is high sales.· Changing the college admissions criteria will have a serious effect.set of criteria (=group of standards): · The group ranks cities according to its own set of criteria.
a very high standard of quality, achievement, or excellence, against which all other things have to be compared and judged: · Under Coach Wooden, UCLA men's basketball was so successful it was the benchmark other teams measured themselves against.benchmark for: · In the 1960s and 1970s the Swedish political system was regarded as a benchmark for other European countries.
a person or thing that you compare another person or thing with, in order to judge how good or successful they are: · Many teachers say the primary school tests are not a useful educational yardstick.yardstick for: · The hospital has developed a treatment for cancer which has become the yardstick for all other treatments.
WORD SETSacre, nounacreage, nounavoirdupois, nounbaker's dozen, nounbalance, nounbarometer, nounbaseline, nounbasin, nounbaud rate, nounbearing, nounbecquerel, nounblack box, nounboiling point, nounbottle, nounbox, nouncalculator, nouncalibrate, verbcalibration, nouncc, centi-, prefixcentimetre, nouncircumference, nouncl, clock, verbcm, cu, cubic, adjectivecubit, nouncup, nouncupful, nouncwt, daylight saving time, noundeci-, prefixdecibel, noundecimalization, noundeflection, noundegree, noundensity, noundepth, noundimension, noundipstick, noundisplacement, noundoz., noundozen, numberelevation, nounfactor, nounfathom, nounfl oz, fluid ounce, nounfoot, nounft, g, gage, noungal, gallon, noungauge, noungauge, verbGB, Geiger counter, noungigabyte, noungill, noungirth, noungm, graduated, adjectivegraduation, noungrain, noungram, noungramme, noungrid, noungross, adjectivehandful, nounhectare, nounhertz, nounhigh, adjectivehundredweight, nounimpedance, nounimperial, adjectiveinch, nounindicator, nouninstrument, nounjoule, nounkarat, nounkg, kilo, nounkilo-, prefixkilogram, nounkilometre, nounkm, knot, nounl, latitude, nounlb, league, nounlength, nounlight year, nounliter, nounlitre, nounlow water mark, nounmax, nounmaximum, adjectivemean, adjectivemeasure, verbmeasure, nounmedian, nounmedium, adjectivemegaton, nounmelting point, nounmental age, nounmeter, nounmeter, verb-meter, suffixmetre, noun-metre, suffixmetric, adjectivemetrication, nounmetric ton, nounmg, MHz, microsecond, nounmile, nounmillennium, nounmilli-, prefixmillibar, nounmilligram, nounmillilitre, nounmillimetre, nounminus, adjectiveminute, nounml, mpg, mph, nano-, prefixnanosecond, nounnautical mile, nounounce, nounoverweight, adjectiveoz, pace, verbpart, nounpedometer, nounpint, nounplus, adjectivepoint, nounpound, nounpunnet, nounqt, quantify, verbquart, nounradioactive dating, nounradius, nounrain gauge, nounread, verbreading, nounrecord, verbreset, verbrev, nounrotation, nounrpm, rule, nounruler, nounscale, nounsea level, nounsea mile, nounseismograph, nounsensor, nounset square, nounsextant, nounsnowfall, nounsoundings, nounsq., subsonic, adjectivesundial, nountherm, nountimberline, nountog, nounton, nountonnage, nountonne, nountroy weight, noununit, nounvoltmeter, nounvolume, nounwatch, nounwatt, nounwattage, nounweighbridge, nounweight, nounwidth, nounwt., yard, nounyardage, nounyardstick, nounyd, zero, number
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY These subjects are used as a yardstick against which to measure the children’s progress.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB
1something that you compare another thing with, in order to judge how good or successful it isyardstick of These subjects are used as a yardstick against which to measure the children’s progress.· Always use the appropriate yardstick for each category.· But root bearding was minimal-and this is what most growers would use as a yardstick.
Profit is the most important yardstick of success for any business.as a yardstick These subjects are used as a yardstick against which to measure the children’s progress.2a special stick used for measuring things, which is exactly one yard long