metric
noun
met·ric
| \ Ëme-trik
\
\
Definition of metric
(Entry 1 of 3)
1
metrics plural
: a part of prosody that deals with metrical (see metrical sense 1) structure
the analytical study of metric— T. S. Eliot
2
: a standard of measurement
no metric exists that can be applied directly to happiness — Scientific Monthly
3
: a mathematical function that associates a real nonnegative number analogous to distance with each pair of elements in a set such that the number is zero only if the two elements are identical, the number is the same regardless of the order in which the two elements are taken, and the number associated with one pair of elements plus that associated with one member of the pair and a third element is equal to or greater than the number associated with the other member of the pair and the third element
metric
adjectiveDefinition of metric (Entry 2 of 3)
: of, relating to, or using the metric system
a metric study
-metric
adjective combining form
variants:
or -metrical
Definition of -metric (Entry 3 of 3)
1
: of, employing, or obtained by (such) a meter
galvanometric
2
: of or relating to (such) an art, process, or science of measuring
geometrical
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Other Words from metric
Adjective
metrically
\ Ëme-tri-k(É-)lÄ
\
adverb
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adverb
Synonyms for metric
Synonyms: Noun
bar, barometer, benchmark, criterion, gold standard, grade, mark, measure, par, standard, touchstone, yardstick
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Examples of metric in a Sentence
Noun
according to the usual metrics by which we judge fiction, this novel is an utter failureAdjective
The metric unit of energy is the âjoule.âRecent Examples on the Web: Noun
Within six years after graduating high school, nearly two-thirds of alumni no longer live in public housing, signaling a powerful metric of self-sufficiency. — Alison Kuznitz, BostonGlobe.com, "Breaking the cycle of poverty: Cambridge housing program prepares young residents for college," 8 Sep. 2019 Same-store sales â or sales in stores open at least a year, a key metric of a retailerâs health â rose 1.6% for the quarter. — Washington Post, "Best Buy 2Q profit beats estimates, but revenue misses," 29 Aug. 2019 With fewer of a companyâs shares available, the all-important metric of earnings per share swellsâto the delight of investors. — Larry Light, Fortune, "More than Half of All Stock Buybacks are Now Financed by Debt. Hereâs Why Thatâs a Problem," 20 Aug. 2019 The yield spread between Italian and German 10-year benchmark bonds, considered a metric of risk for investment in Italy, has stayed high through much of their tenure. — Jason Horowitz, New York Times, "Italyâs Government Collapses, Turning Chaos Into Crisis," 20 Aug. 2019 The specific wording about the carbon neutrality of Googleâs shipments makes for a clearer metric of how successful the company is in meeting its goal. — Anna Washenko, Ars Technica, "Google publishes sustainability plan for hardware, but its impact is uncertain," 5 Aug. 2019 When Johnson joined Potbelly in December 2017, the company had experienced a 3.8% decline in same-store sales for the year â an important metric of retail health that measures sales in stores open for at least 15 months. — Alexia Elejalde-ruiz, chicagotribune.com, "Potbelly seeks to turn around its flagging fortunes with new store designs, a franchise expansion and a lot of soul-searching," 1 Aug. 2019 These include extensive data sets that the organization uses to calculate two overarching indicators: The ecological footprint, perhaps the most commonly used metric of the environmental impacts of human resource use. — Robert B. Richardson, The Conversation, "Resource depletion is a serious problem, but âfootprintâ estimates donât tell us much about it," 24 July 2019 Investors view deliveries as a more important metric of success than orders. — Chris Isidore, CNN, "Airbus about to pass Boeing to become world's largest aircraft maker," 11 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Perhaps the presidentâs most favored metric, the stock market, had already risen 236% from its March 2009 low. — Barry Ritholtz, Twin Cities, "Barry Ritholtz: The #TrumpRecession label is going to stick," 20 Aug. 2019 The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. — Keith Caulfield, Billboard, "Slipknot Ties Up Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'We Are Not Your Kind'," 18 Aug. 2019 By his own personal metric, the midterm victory was only close to complete because his Senate candidates lost in Montana and West Virginia. — Daniel Henninger, WSJ, "Trump Ridicules Republicans," 28 Nov. 2018 Revenue per available room is the most closely followed metric to determine the state of a hotel market. — George Avalos, The Mercury News, "More than 1,000 hotel rooms headed for north San Jose," 12 Aug. 2019 According to the Official World Golf Rankingâs strength of field metric, the Canadian Open jumped from 268 last year to 314. — Mitchell Gladstone, SI.com, "The Pros and Cons of the New PGA Tour Schedule," 7 Aug. 2019 In the past few months, lag and performance issues had been a problem for users with an older monitor on their bike as the company continues to push out new updates for music control, wireless headphone support, and workout metric displays. — Natt Garun, The Verge, "Peloton is ending software support for bikes with the first generation of its monitor," 30 July 2019 The European Union has issued several directives over the decades asking member states to use metric measurements, however, the U.K. has been a late adopter to the system. — Fox News, "UK lawmaker issues etiquette, writing guidelines that ban words including 'hopefully,' 'very'," 28 July 2019 So, were the men ever to beat Thailand even more lopsidedly, would your dollars-for-goals metric remain gender-neutral? — Mike Burbach, Twin Cities, "George Will: Answer these, candidates," 28 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'metric.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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