yardstick

[ yahrd-stik ]

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.

yardstick

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of yardstick¹

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

Example Sentences

“We had our whippings. It was the yardstick,” said Stewart’s brother, Frank Kostyra.

From Salon

“We dreaded the yardstick. And at times, it was the end of the belt.”

From Salon

It’s simplistic just to look at Leach’s seven wickets against Bashir’s one as the yardstick of success – the devil is in the detail.

From BBC

Walking on the sandy riverbed, McNeish used a yardstick to estimate how much the water had receded in an isolated pond since her last visit.

From Los Angeles Times

At another point, McNeish stopped at a dry depression and poked her yardstick into tangled aquatic plants, finding dead tadpoles.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• barometer
• benchmark
• criterion
• indicator
• norm