barometers

noun

plural of barometer
as in standards
something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared a legendary Broadway flop that has subsequently become the barometer by which failure in the theater is judged

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of barometers Wood, barometers, and portraits bring warmth, history, and Southern personality. — Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 7 Sep. 2026 Investors and borrowers will instead focus on Wednesday's release of the Fed's Summary of Economic Projections, a report that distills the FOMC's forecasts for unemployment, GDP growth and other barometers. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 16 June 2026 That’s what makes pilots the best barometers for how well a piece of luggage works. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2026 The mercury barometers in the observers’ office — one of which the observatory believes to be the oldest such instrument in active daily use in the United States — are a case in point. — Laura Martin Agudelo, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026 And assets under management are poor barometers of a venture fund’s success, generally. — Ben Weiss, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026 And besides that, with their hard-fought Final Four victories Friday over Texas and Connecticut, respectively, barometers for other programs that dream of ascending to such elite heights. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026 The barometers for our rankings include Opta’s projections for the remainder of their campaign, the teams’ performances in 2025-26, relative squad strength and their history in the competition. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026 Besides, the issue is further complicated by the fact that there are so many barometers of greatness. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barometers
  1. standards
  2. criteria
  3. benchmarks
  4. metrics
Noun
  • Professional societies and standards organizations will need to develop and regularly update the technical requirements.
    — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Cornell University’s investigation, of course, did not have to adhere to New York’s arguably archaic criminal standards, but its response, too, has triggered anger and disbelief across airwaves and social media.
    — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of standards
Noun
  • City staff determined the two projects would be competitive for the grant program after reviewing the program criteria and city priorities, according to the staff report.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • You are not required to meet these criteria to be approved for a loan.
    — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of criteria
Noun
  • The PCMark 10 tests were particularly disappointing, as these benchmarks gauge a system's general performance.
    — Marshall Honorof, PC Magazine, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Argon puts Google back in the AI race, with company benchmarks showing particular strength in long-context, coding, and enterprise-agent tasks.
    — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of benchmarks
Noun
  • According to advanced fielding metrics, no player in the league made a bigger defensive contribution to his team than the Braves center fielder, an elite defender with a strong arm who takes clean routes to the ball.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • To measure the impact, Starbucks often looks at metrics including product trials, rewards engagement, customer frequency, transactions, and comparable sales.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of metrics

Browse Nearby Words

barometer
barometers
baron
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Cite this Entry

“Barometers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barometers. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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