calibrate
verb
cal·i·brate
ˈka-lə-ˌbrāt 
calibrated; calibrating
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
Examples of calibrate in a Sentence
carefully calibrate the dosage of a medicine
Recent Examples on the Web
This made precise targeting difficult to calibrate, because every shell was different.
—
Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Atlantic, 27 May 2025
Reinwald said the department did recently get help from a lab technician from the CDC’s Laboratory Leadership Service, who was there from May 5 to May 16 to help calibrate a new instrument in the city’s laboratory.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
While the club started hot in league play, Mascherano has struggled to calibrate a roster teeming with technical veterans but lacking much of the physicality that has long proved necessary to flourish in MLS’s typical game state.
—Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 18 May 2025
When women start menopause, their bodies and brains have to calibrate to the sharp drop in estrogen, Dr. Caldwell explains.
—Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for calibrate
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Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Atlantic, 27 May 2025
Reinwald said the department did recently get help from a lab technician from the CDC’s Laboratory Leadership Service, who was there from May 5 to May 16 to help calibrate a new instrument in the city’s laboratory.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 20 May 2025
While the club started hot in league play, Mascherano has struggled to calibrate a roster teeming with technical veterans but lacking much of the physicality that has long proved necessary to flourish in MLS’s typical game state.
—Jeff Rueter, New York Times, 18 May 2025
When women start menopause, their bodies and brains have to calibrate to the sharp drop in estrogen, Dr. Caldwell explains.
—Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for calibrate
Cite this Entry
“Calibrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calibrate. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
calibrate
verb
cal·i·brate
ˈkal-ə-ˌbrāt
calibrated; calibrating
1
: to measure the caliber of
2
a
: to determine, correct, or put the measuring marks on (as a tire pressure gauge)
b
: make standard (as a measuring instrument) by finding out and correcting for the differences from an accepted or ideal value
calibration
noun
ˌkal-ə-ˈbrā-shən
Medical Definition
calibrate
transitive verb
cal·i·brate
ˈkal-ə-ˌbrāt
calibrated; calibrating
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
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