caliber

noun

cal·​i·​ber ˈka-lə-bər 

 British also  kə-ˈlē-

variants or calibre

1

a

: degree of mental capacity or moral quality

teachers of high caliber

b

: degree of excellence or importance

the caliber of instruction

2

a

: the diameter of a bullet or other projectile

b

: the diameter of a bore of a gun usually expressed in hundredths or thousandths of an inch and typically written as a decimal fraction

.32 caliber

3

: the diameter of a round or cylindrical body

especially : the internal diameter of a hollow cylinder

Synonyms

• quality

Examples of caliber in a Sentence

I was impressed by the high caliber of the team's work.

musicians of the highest caliber perform at that concert hall

Recent Examples on the Web

Chittum said the traditional hunting caliber is used for hunting deer and in this configuration usually comes in a magazine with five rounds. —Will Carless, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025

Tampa Bay doesn’t have the caliber of pass rush as Los Angeles, so Stroud may have a chance at a bounce-back game if the blocking can hold up. —Kc Joyner, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025

Things won't get any easier for Flacco next week with the Browns traveling to Baltimore to play the Ravens, who typically always have a top-10 caliber defense. —Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025

CeeDee Lamb’s late drops were unbecoming of a receiver of his caliber and likely cost his team a massive upset. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French calibre "internal diameter of a cylindrical object, displacement of a gun," borrowed (by uncertain mediation) from Arabic qālab, qālib "mold for casting metal, shoemaker's last," borrowed from Greek kalapod-, kalápous, kalópous "shoemaker's last," from kâla (plural) "wood, timber" (of uncertain origin) + -a- (perhaps after tetrápous "four-footed") or -o- -o- + poús "foot" — more at foot entry 1

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Rhymes for caliber

• excalibur

Kids Definition

caliber

noun

cal·​i·​ber

variants or calibre

ˈkal-ə-bər 

1

: degree of excellence or importance

2

: the diameter of a missile (as a bullet)

3

: the inside diameter of a gun barrel

Medical Definition

caliber

noun

cal·​i·​ber

variants or chiefly British calibre

ˈkal-ə-bər, British also kə-ˈlē-

: the diameter of a round or cylindrical body

especially : the internal diameter of a hollow cylinder