caliber

American  

[kal-uh-ber] / ˈkæl ə bər /

especially British, calibre

noun

• calibers
  plural

1. 

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

   a pipe of three-inch caliber.

2. Ordnance. the diameter of the bore of a gun taken as a unit of measurement.

3. degree of capacity or competence; ability.

   a mathematician of high caliber.

4. degree of merit or excellence; quality.

   the high moral caliber of the era.

   Synonyms:

   distinction, worth

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• calibered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• calibers
  plural

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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)

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caliber calibers

The three bullets found in Kovtun’s apartment were of the same caliber.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

For one, the car wasn’t yet championship caliber.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

News has made over the past few years to focus the rankings more on rewarding schools that help students succeed after college and less for the caliber of students they admit on the front end.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

But at times, the caliber of their technical and harmonic choices sounds arty and sophisticated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

She said, “Harvard. And if not Harvard, Princeton. And if not Princeton, Yale. And if not Yale, Columbia. And if not Columbia, Stanford. He was that caliber of student.”

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Czechoslovak Group, which acquired a German nitrocellulose facility, aims to secure the entire supply chain for artillery shells of various calibers within company facilities across several European countries by year-end.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The Ukrainians that day could use their 155mm rounds while saving their Soviet calibers.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2023

There are thousands of "elite" teams like that city's Scorpion unit and they come in all calibers, shapes, and sizes.

From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2023

Indeed, since a grip has nothing to do with a gun’s internal mechanics, there’s no reason to include those calibers except to announce it as a product for AR-15s and M16s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2019

The captures of material included about 100 guns of various calibers, many machine guns, more than 20,000,000 rounds of rifle ammunition, and 250,000 rounds of gun ammunition.

From The Story of the Great War, Volume VII (of VIII) American Food and Ships; Palestine; Italy invaded; Great German Offensive; Americans in Picardy; Americans on the Marne; Foch's Counteroffensive. by Various

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Related Words

• ability
• competence
• quality
• stature
• talent

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