caliper

or cal·li·per

[ kal-uh-per ]

/ ˈkæl ə pər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR caliper ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Usually calipers. an instrument for measuring thicknesses and internal or external diameters inaccessible to a scale, consisting usually of a pair of adjustable pivoted legs.

any of various calibrated instruments for measuring thicknesses or distances between surfaces, usually having a screwed or sliding adjustable piece.Compare vernier caliper.

thickness or depth, as of paper or a tree.

Usually calipers. the pincers of an earwig.

Automotive. the part of a disc-brake assembly that straddles the disc and presses the brake pads against it.

a similar part used with a hand brake on a bicycle.

verb (used with object)

to measure with calipers.

verb (used without object)

to use calipers.

Nearby words

calimere, calimocho, caliorrhaphy, calipash, calipee, caliper, caliper rule, caliph, caliphate, calippus, calisaya

Origin of caliper

First recorded in 1580–90; presumably variant of caliber

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for caliper

Hurrying to the Whim he returned with his lens, while from the mate he had borrowed a caliper, a two-foot rule and a sail needle.
Wings of the Wind|Credo Harris
It is a 26-inch caliper, and will caliper up to 34 inches diameter.
Measuring Tools|Unknown
But what are the facts left for our consideration in connection with caliper measurement?
Antonio Stradivari|Horace William Petherick
The common sizes by caliper, or diameter of the trunk, are five-, seven- or nine-sixteenths of an inch.
The Peaches of New York|U. P. Hedrick

In the upper left-hand part of the engraving the details of a useful addition to the caliper are shown.
Measuring Tools|Unknown

British Dictionary definitions for caliper

caliper

/ (ˈkælɪpə) /

noun

the usual US spelling of calliper

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012