caliber

American

[kal-uh-ber] / ˈkæl ə bər /

especially British, calibre

noun

the diameter of something of circular section, especially that of the inside of a tube.

a pipe of three-inch caliber.
Ordnance. the diameter of the bore of a gun taken as a unit of measurement.
degree of capacity or competence; ability.

a mathematician of high caliber.
degree of merit or excellence; quality.

the high moral caliber of the era.

Synonyms:

distinction, worth

Other Word Forms

calibered

adjective

Etymology

Origin of caliber

1560–70; variant of calibre < Middle French ≪ Arabic qālib mold, last < Greek kālápous shoe last, equivalent to kāla- combining form of kâlon wood + poús foot ( see -pod)

Explanation

Caliber is a kind of measurement that can describe either the level of a person’s ability or the diameter of a gun barrel. Your dad might be a high-caliber marksman, especially when using his .22 caliber rifle. Caliber describes the level of ability a person has achieved in a profession. For example, you probably wouldn't want to hire a low-caliber plumber when the toilet breaks. The caliber of an institution or a program describes the height of its standards. You might be planning to attend the high-caliber veterinary program at your state university. Caliber is also the measurement of the width inside a gun barrel, and its corresponding bullets.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Reibe, though, comes to USC as a different caliber of prospect.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

To see someone care as much about the minute details of their work as he does is a rare thing for someone of Michaels’ caliber.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

“Usually for that caliber of a cocktail, you need to drive into Minneapolis or St. Paul.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

"Same caliber, all the same type of cartridges," he explained, but one is banned while the other is not.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Now Eisman had his first exchanges with them, and what struck him immediately—and struck Danny and Vinny, too—was the caliber of their employees.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023