yardstick
[noun]
Synonyms: standard, benchmark, criterion, gauge, measure, par, touchstone

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

yard‧stick /ˈjɑːdˌstɪk $ ˈjɑːrd-/ noun [countable]

1. something that you compare another thing with, in order to judge how good or successful it is
yardstick of
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.

2. a special stick used for measuring things, which is exactly one yard long

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

yardstick
noun
ADJ. good, useful | common
VERB + YARDSTICK have We don't have a common yardstick by which to compare the two cases.
apply, use | give sb, provide (sb with), serve as | measure sth against/by
PREP. against a ~ The new test provides a yardstick against which to measure children's learning.
by a ~ By any yardstick, that's a large amount of money.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲