recalibrate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
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
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."
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:
Media companies, which often are those backing sources, have also had to recalibrate.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
That appearance, with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, would provide an opportunity to reinforce or recalibrate the message delivered this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Burnham's opponents are having to recalibrate and work through how they take on a new prime minister.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
New Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh is set to hold his first press conference, where he expected to recalibrate Fed policy and communication.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
She just had to quickly recalibrate her ambitions.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
The league once again has not attributed this to conflict in the region, instead saying the calendar would be recalibrated after the cancellation of the Asian Cup to achieve "a more balanced distribution of fixtures".
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
European stock indexes were mostly lower at the open, as investors recalibrated after last week’s strength.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
To investigate further, researchers recalibrated radiocarbon dates connected to the human remains.
From Science Daily ● May 13, 2026
Other companies have recalibrated their relationships with Amazon.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 6, 2026
Maybe his medication had recalibrated his brain right away, and he was back to being a high-functioning Übermensch in no time.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
The sharp move higher in oil prices on Monday has U.S. traders recalibrating their interest-rate outlook for the rest of 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
After recalibrating the data, the team found that emissions from land had been significantly overestimated in earlier models, but even after correction, land remained the dominant source.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026
He later wrote, in a social media post, that Canada was "recalibrating" its relationship with China, "strategically, pragmatically, and decisively".
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
This time, though, “The Pitt” also counsels recalibrating our concept of what’s important, whether that means reevaluating our focus on our jobs over our families or other choices about how we’re living.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2026
This was Beethoven's great significance, not through form or musical language, but in recalibrating what music was for.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
