Online OXFORD Collocation Dictionary

standard adj.

VERBS be, be fitted as, come as Anti-lock brakes are fitted as standard. | become

ADV. almost The stations were built to a simple, almost standard design. | fairly, pretty a fairly standard method of assessing employees

standard noun

¹ level of quality

ADJ. high | low, poor | minimum | acceptable, adequate, decent, proper, reasonable We must ensure proper standards of care for the elderly. | improved, rising | clear | objective Judged by any objective standards, the campaign was a disaster. | official, required | conventional, usual | consistent, uniform, universal | exacting, rigorous, strict, stringent | professional The work has been done to a professional standard. | international, national | quality We have to try and achieve the quality standards set by the project. | qualifying The Olympic qualifying standard has been set at 64.50m. | living The region enjoys the highest living standards in Europe. | accounting, advertising, safety, trading, etc. | academic, educational, environmental, health, intellectual, technical, etc.

VERB + STANDARD have The agency has very high standards. | boast, enjoy | define, establish, set | achieve, meet, reach The factory is struggling to meet national environmental standards. She has reached an acceptable standard of English. | fall short of The hotel service fell short of the usual standard. | apply, enforce, provide It's impossible to apply the same academic standards across the country. | judge sb/sth by | improve, raise | lower | maintain, sustain

PREP. above/below (the) ~ Your work is below standard. | by … standards By modern standards, he isn't a particularly fast runner. | to a … ~ The building work had not been completed to a satisfactory standard. | up to ~ We need to bring our computer system up to standard. | ~ in standards in safety

PHRASES by any standard She's a great violinist by any standard. | a drop/fall in the standard, an increase/a rise in the standard There has been an increase in the standard of service provided. | a standard of living the fall in their standard of living caused by redundancy

² (usually standards) acceptable level of behaviour

ADJ. declining, falling My grandparents are always complaining about falling moral standards. | double the double standard frequently encountered in nineteenth-century attitudes to sex | ethical, moral

VERB + STANDARD prescribe | keep up, maintain | improve, raise

STANDARD + VERB drop, fall

PHRASES standards of behaviour/conduct