Calibrate: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Calibrate verb. To check and adjust an instrument against a standard so that its readings are accurate.
How to say it
KAL-ih-brayt/ˈkalɪbreɪt/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (KAL). Forms: calibrates, calibrated.
Meanings
- To check and adjust an instrument against a standard so that its readings are accurate.
- To adjust something carefully so that it suits its purpose or audience.
Calibrate in a sentence
The lab calibrates its scales every Monday before a single sample is weighed.
She calibrated her jokes to the room and quietly dropped the edgier ones.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- adjust
- tune
- standardise
Where calibrate comes from
Formed from calibre, the size of a gun’s bore, a word that came into English from French.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
She _____ her jokes to the room and quietly dropped the edgier ones.
- extrapolate
- calibrate
- replicate
Show the answer
calibrate: She calibrated her jokes to the room and quietly dropped the edgier ones.