Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

caliper

American  
[kal-uh-per] / ˈkæl ə pər /
Or calliper

noun

  1. 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.

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

  3. thickness or depth, as of paper or a tree.

  4. Usually calipers. the pincers of an earwig.

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

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

verb (used with object)

  1. to measure with calipers.

verb (used without object)

  1. to use calipers.

caliper British  
/ ˈkælɪpə /

noun

  1. 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
caliper Scientific  
/ kăl′ə-pər /

  1. An instrument consisting of two curved legs connected at a hinge, used to measure thickness and distance. Often used in the plural as calipers.

Etymology

Origin of caliper

First recorded in 1580–90; presumably variant of caliber

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.

These include the earliest dated set of European navigation instruments found thus far: compasses, protractors, calipers, sounding leads, tide calculators, and a device for calculating speed called a log reel.

From Literature

It took a mechanic failing to do up the bolts on a rear brake caliper after qualifying to stop Verstappen winning in Australia two weeks ago.

From BBC

Red Bull said his retirement was caused by a caliper causing the brake to bind on to the disc.

From BBC

To do the work, the team used a large lathe to spin a detached brake rotor and caliper.

From Science Daily

Using a delicate magnetic caliper employed by violin makers to measure in millimeters an instrument’s walls and veneers, the conservators tracked the wood’s thickness at short intervals along the crack.

From Los Angeles Times

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.