Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To check, adjust, or determine by comparison with a standard (the graduations of a quantitative measuring instrument).
  • transitive verb To make corrections in; adjust.
  • transitive verb To adjust (a display setting) so that recorded images are accurately reproduced.
  • transitive verb To determine the caliber of (a tube).

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To determine the caliber of, as the interior of a thermometer-tube. See calibration.
  • Hence To determine the relative value of, as different parts of an arbitrary scale.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To ascertain the caliber of, as of a thermometer tube; also, more generally, to determine or rectify the graduation of, as of the various standards or graduated instruments.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To check or adjust by comparison with a standard.
  • verb To mark the scale of a measuring instrument.
  • verb To measure the caliber of a tube or gun.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb make fine adjustments or divide into marked intervals for optimal measuring
  • verb measure the caliber of
  • verb mark (the scale of a measuring instrument) so that it can be read in the desired units

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From caliber +‎ -ate.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word calibrate.

Examples

  • It takes less thsn a minute to calibrate, which is faster than scaling and aligning a scanned image.

    All Discussion Groups: Message List - root 2009

  • Is there a way to reliably and repeatedly "calibrate" and "zero" a chronograph?

    Do Chronographs Lie? 2009

  • It requires Novartis to clarify and systematize the criteria for evaluating employees, to train managers to evaluate employees fairly, and to "calibrate" evaluations to check that evaluators are applying performance criteria in a uniform manner -- in other words, making people accountable for implementing the changes.

    Settling Gender Discrimination Class Actions (Part II) 2010

  • As he reflected on his initial comment, saying the police 'acted stupidly,' he had a realization of a better way to 'calibrate' his vocabulary, step up and create a teachable moment of mass media proportion ...

    Sheila Shayon: Obama's Teachable Moment 2009

  • You hold still and you then kind of calibrate how much do I need to move my arms so they don't fly into the other guy.

    CNN Transcript Nov 16, 2009 2009

  • We haven ` t felt it necessary to turn a lot of people into enemy combatants, as we have in this conflict, which is -- and I understand that after 9/11, there was a great desire to -- and I think right now, we should be -- kind of calibrate our responses because I think some of ...

    CNN Transcript Jul 7, 2005 2005

  • After Iraq indisputably began deploying chemical weapons against Iranian forces in 1983, the U.S. secretly provided Iraq with intelligence, including satellite images, to "calibrate" its chemical weapons attacks against Iranian forces.

    The Selective Prosecution of Saddam Hussein 2005

  • After Iraq indisputably began deploying chemical weapons against Iranian forces in 1983, the U.S. secretly provided Iraq with intelligence to "calibrate" its mustard gas attacks on Iranian troops, including satellite photos of Iranian targets.

    Reaping the Bounty of Imperial Arrogance 2005

  • Examine and "calibrate" each pole and then use them to measure wind speeds.

    Chapter 20 1984

  • Prentice said Ottawa has to "calibrate" with Washington "otherwise we will have discordant energy and environment policies."

    Brandon Sun Online - Top Stories 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.