caliper
noun
cal·i·per
| \ ˈka-lə-pər
\
\
Definition of caliper
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: any of various measuring instruments having two usually adjustable arms, legs, or jaws used especially to measure diameter or thickness
—usually used in plural a pair of calipers
b
: a device for pressing a frictional material (such as a brake pad) against the sides of a rotating wheel or disc
2
: thickness especially of paper, cardboard, or a tree
caliper
verb
calipered;
calipering\ ˈka-lə-p(ə-)riŋ
\
\
Definition of caliper (Entry 2 of 2)
: to measure by or as if by calipers
Examples of caliper in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The city estimates to have lost 15,600 caliper inches. — Hayat Norimine, Dallas News, "Dallas officials estimate the city's parks lost more than 600 trees in storm," 19 June 2019 Researchers have used scanners, photocopiers, calipers, rulers, and even x-ray machines to assess finger length; in some studies the subjects measured themselves. — Mitch Leslie, Science | AAAS, "Talk to the hand. Scientists try to debunk idea that finger length can reveal personality and health," 6 June 2019 Silver calipers with red Alfa script are eye-catching. — Mark Maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio: An Italian job for the family," 12 Jan. 2018 Inadequate development at the manufacturer that leaves brake systems prone to noise can usually be overcome by a Saturday mechanic without totally re-engineering the caliper/mount/pad/disc system. — Mike Allen, Popular Mechanics, "How to Fix Squeaky Brakes," 14 Mar. 2019 Brembo developed a special brake caliper for the project simply because the company wanted to. — Eric Tegler, Ars Technica, "Working on this Singer 911 restoration “turns” Williams F1 engineers," 24 Aug. 2018 One notable win came from lightweight brake rotors and calipers. — Eric Tegler, Ars Technica, "Working on this Singer 911 restoration “turns” Williams F1 engineers," 24 Aug. 2018 For brakes, the LiveWire will have Brembo Monoblock front calipers on dual 300mm discs, with antilock braking and traction control standard. — Alexander George, Popular Mechanics, "The Harley-Davidson LiveWire Electric Motorcycle Goes Public," 6 Nov. 2018 My specific Performance 3 loaner car had the $5,000 Performance Upgrade package: 20-inch wheels, a carbon fiber spoiler, and bigger brakes with the calipers painted red. — Alexander George, Popular Mechanics, "My 72 Hours With the Tesla Model 3 Performance Edition," 13 Sep. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Standard Tornado Red calipers signal to the 99.999999 percent that this is indeed the V-8 trim. — Tony Markovich, Car and Driver, "SUV-8: Bentley Bentayga Gets a 542-HP Twin-Turbo Eight-Cylinder," 12 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'caliper.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for caliper
caliper
noun
cal·i·per
| \ ˈka-lə-pər
\
\
Kids Definition of caliper
: an instrument with two adjustable legs used to measure the thickness of objects or the distance between surfaces
—usually used in pl. a pair of calipers
caliper
noun
cal·i·per
variants:
or chiefly British calliper \ ˈkal-ə-pər
\
\
Medical Definition of caliper
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: any of various measuring instruments having two usually adjustable arms, legs, or jaws used to measure thickness, diameter, and distance between surfaces
—usually used in plural
a pair of calipers
2
: caliper splint
caliper
transitive verb
variants:
or chiefly British calliper
calipered;
calipering\ -p(ə-)riŋ
\
\
Medical Definition of caliper (Entry 2 of 2)
: to measure by or as if by calipers