calibrate
verb
cal·i·brate
| \ ˈka-lə-ˌbrāt
\
\
calibrated;
calibrating
Definition of calibrate
1
: to ascertain the caliber of (something) )
2
: to determine, rectify, or mark the graduations of (something, such as a thermometer tube)
3
: to standardize (something, such as a measuring instrument) by determining the deviation from a standard so as to ascertain the proper correction factors
4
: to adjust precisely for a particular function
calibrate a thermometer
5
: to measure precisely
carefully calibrate the dosage of a medicine
especially
: to measure against a standard
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from calibrate
calibrator
\ ˈka-lə-ˌbrā-tər
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of calibrate in a Sentence
carefully calibrate the dosage of a medicine
Recent Examples on the Web
Though cost control is always important, what will be crucial for Crespo is ensuring that Zara’s fashion compass stays perfectly calibrated. — latimes.com, "Zara’s hot polka-dot dress shows human brains beating big data," 12 July 2019 Most adults have normal stress responses, calibrated to give the right burst of hormones and bodily changes for a particular stressor. — Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, "What Science Says About Why You're Stressed and How to Cope," 21 June 2019 Freedman and her colleagues studied such stars in the sparse stellar halos surrounding 18 large galaxies, using them to calibrate supernovae, which led to the middle-of-the-road H0 estimate. — Leila Sloman, Scientific American, "Hubble Tension Headache: Clashing Measurements Make the Universe's Expansion a Lingering Mystery," 29 July 2019 Be sure to calibrate the app before using it to improve the accuracy of the reading. — Good Housekeeping Editors, Good Housekeeping, "What Is Noise Pollution? Everything You Need to Know About the New Public Health Threat," 8 July 2019 Nonetheless, the tool is used across disciplines like climatology and art history, and tree ring chronologies are even used to calibrate radiocarbon dating measurements. — Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "How are tree rings used to help date an archaeological site?," 8 July 2019 Emily Scarr, the director of Maryland’s branch of the Public Interest Research Group, said the rules for such funds have to be calibrated to allow candidates who use them to be competitive with those who rely on private donations. — Ian Duncan, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore City Council considers awarding up to $1.7 million in public funds to mayoral campaigns," 25 June 2019 The rockets appeared to be calibrated to stop short of harming any U.S. personnel. — Isabel Coles, WSJ, "Rocket Strikes at Site of Foreign Oil Firms in Iraq," 19 June 2019 Hamburgers and hot dogs may come to mind for many of us, but these are actually immigrant foods, brought here from across the ocean and calibrated to fit their new surroundings. — Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, "Award-winning Native American chef coming to Zingerman's for indigenous dinner, discussion," 25 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'calibrate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for calibrate
calibrate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of calibrate
: to adjust or mark (something, such as a measuring device) so that it can be used in an accurate and exact way
: to measure (something) in an exact and precise way
See the full definition for calibrate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
calibrate
transitive verb
cal·i·brate
| \ ˈkal-ə-ˌbrāt
\
\
calibrated;
calibrating
Medical Definition of calibrate
1
: to ascertain the caliber of (as a thermometer tube)
2
: to determine, rectify, or mark the graduations of (as a thermometer tube)
3
: to standardize (as a measuring instrument) by determining the deviation from a standard so as to ascertain the proper correction factors
Other Words from calibrate
calibration
\ ˌkal-ə-ˈbrā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
calibrator
\ ˈkal-ə-ˌbrāt-ər
\
noun
\
noun
Keep scrolling for more