calibrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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calibrates,
present (3rd person singular)
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calibrated,
past participle, past
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calibrating
present participle
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to determine, check, or rectify the graduation of (any instrument giving quantitative measurements).
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to divide or mark with gradations, graduations, or other indexes of degree, quantity, etc., as on a thermometer, measuring cup, or the like.
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to determine the correct range for (an artillery gun, mortar, etc.) by observing where the fired projectile hits.
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to plan or devise (something) carefully so as to have a precise use, application, appeal, etc..
a sales strategy calibrated to rich investors.
verb
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to measure the calibre of (a gun, mortar, etc)
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to mark (the scale of a measuring instrument) so that readings can be made in appropriate units
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to determine the accuracy of (a measuring instrument, etc)
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to determine or check the range and accuracy of (a piece of artillery)
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To check, adjust, or standardize a measuring instrument, usually by comparing it with an accepted model.
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To measure the diameter of the inside of a tube.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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calibraternoun
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calibrationnoun
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calibratornoun
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recalibrateverb (used with or without object)
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uncalibratedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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calibratesimple
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calibratessimple
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have calibratedperfect
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has calibratedperfect
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am calibratingprogressive
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are calibratingprogressive
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is calibratingprogressive
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have been calibratingperfect progressive
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has been calibratingperfect progressive
Past
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calibratedsimple
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had calibratedperfect
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was calibratingprogressive
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were calibratingprogressive
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had been calibratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of calibrate
Explanation
The word calibrate means making precise measurement. For example, you might want to calibrate your bathroom scale now and then to be sure it’s adjusted for exact weight. Or calibrate it to read five pounds light. We won't tell. To find the origin of calibrate, we must look at its root, caliber, which appeared in the late 15th-century Middle French as calibre, meaning "a degree of importance." Linguists trace that word to an Arabic beginning, the word qalib, which referred to a mold for making bullets. That meaning seems to have carried over to our word, the verb calibrate, which first meant to measure the range of a projectile such as a bullet or shell.
Vocabulary lists containing calibrate
The Fault in Our Stars
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"The Leap," Vocabulary from the short story
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The Invention of Hugo Cabret
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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.
See Examples For:
"In Switzerland, we can find engineers to design, work and assemble the machines, but we lack the expertise to test and calibrate them," Bonvin told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
They will have to figure out, as the aerospace industry did, how to calibrate their technologies for general use, adapted for different customer classes, price points and needs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
So now we’re able to calibrate between the two eras and mix them, which is exciting.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
These approaches could help calibrate systems more responsibly by testing how often an algorithm wrongly flags people or locations.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
It’s true that every writer must calibrate the degree of specialization in her language against her best guess of the audience’s familiarity with the topic.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
McDonald’s frequently calibrates its machines to ensure the right amount of Coke syrup concentrate in its sodas to help retain their flavor even after ice cubes melted in the drinks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
The cartoon well calibrates its PG thrills to give kids a mild case of the shivers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
He carefully calibrates his criticisms of Mr Putin.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2024
Jordan calibrates the competing emotions with direct, unfussy skill, allowing “Creed III” to unfold in ways that don’t necessarily break the mold but prove enormously satisfying nonetheless.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 28, 2023
Such a number calibrates crudely what humans know.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
It has presumably been engineered by a team, calibrated for refrigeration and focus-grouped into broad acceptability, yet it feels made by no one.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
Radiocarbon measurements must be calibrated because the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere has changed over time.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
It’s an audacious wager calibrated to the ambitions of our age and attuned to the capital behind it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Although it was better to have purchased too much PPE in a pandemic than too little, it would "clearly have been better if supply had been calibrated more closely with demand", the report concluded.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Typically, a batch of four might have been commissioned, with two or even three of the four calibrated to a lower pitch to make a fuller, self-contained chordal sound.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
“We see very high demand for our compute products, we’re working hard to meet demand and we’re constantly calibrating and assessing what it will do to the total available market in the future,” Feng said.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 25, 2026
Ed Yardeni, founder and president of Yardeni Research, suggested the readings indicate how investors are calibrating the economic impact of the Persian Gulf conflict.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
By uncovering these previously hidden dynamics, the findings reshape how scientists think about testing and calibrating superconducting quantum processors.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2026
This talent for precisely calibrating the elements that convey status and fashionability is probably possible only in someone with intimate knowledge of social insecurity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Warriors were now in place from every world where Lord Asriel’s rebellion had supporters; mechanics and artificers were fueling aircraft, loading weapons, and calibrating sights and measures.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
