Synonyms

recalibrate

American

[ree-kal-uh-breyt] / riˈkæl əˌbreɪt /

verb (used with or without object)

recalibrated, recalibrating

to correct or adjust the gradations or settings on (a measuring instrument, sensor, or other piece of precision equipment).

If your battery fuel gauge is still inaccurate after following these steps, you may need to manually recalibrate the gauge.
to reexamine (one’s thinking, a plan, a system of values, etc.) and correct it in accord with a new understanding or purpose.

This is a government that's out of touch and refusing to recalibrate after getting a clear message from voters.

Etymology

Origin of recalibrate

re- ( def. ) + calibrate ( def. )

Explanation

To recalibrate is to adjust the settings on a device that precisely measures, senses, or moves. You might have to recalibrate your thermostat in order for it to accurately tell you how hot or cold it is in your apartment. When a precision instrument is first set up, it's finely adjusted to be as accurate as possible, a process called calibration. Whenever it needs fine-tuning, someone must recalibrate it, bringing it back to accuracy. This is true for scientific instruments, bathroom scales, barometers, and more. If your baking scale seems off, you may want to recalibrate it. This word is from calibrate, originally "determine the caliber of," a reference to measuring the inside of a gun barrel."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

CMS planned to recalibrate the dollar weights, known as risk scores, attached to every condition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

If anything, now is a better time to recalibrate expectations, and bolster resilience.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Workers may have to recalibrate their skills looking ahead.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

Focus is also on this week’s nonfarm payrolls report and inflation data, both of which could recalibrate expectations for Fed policy, Exness’ Christopher Tahir says in an email.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

‘If we make the damage too obvious, we’ll never get to the other ones in time. Can you recalibrate the aim - like, towards the other onagers’ firing lines?’

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

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