caliber

noun cal·i·ber \ ˈka-lə-bər , British also kə-ˈlē- \

variants: or calibre

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of caliber

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

See caliber defined for English-language learners

See caliber defined for kids

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 of caliber from the Web

Cavs without five rotation-caliber players and coach Tyronn Lue.

— dennis manoloff, cleveland.com, "LeBron James (MVP) dazzled in 15th (MVP) NBA regular season (MVP): DMan's World," 12 Apr. 2018
But the Jazz have to score too, and therein lies the most pressing question of their postseason: Can rookie guard Donovan Mitchell be the same star-caliber player on this stage?

— sam amick, USA TODAY, "2018 NBA playoff previews: Matchups, series outlooks," 12 Apr. 2018
Add Fultz to the mix, and the Sixers have three starting-caliber players coming off the bench.

— keith pompey, Philly.com, "Brett Brown and Bryan Colangelo orchestrated Sixers' better than expected season," 12 Apr. 2018
Having a player of Jaylin’s caliber is what enabled us to have a successful transition into a very challenging A Conference.

— glenn graham, baltimoresun.com, "2017-18 All-Metro boys basketball first and second teams," 6 Apr. 2018
First team Natalie Andersen, 5-11, jr., G/F, Mukwonago: Andersen took a major step this year, going from an all-conference caliber player to a co-player of the year in one of the state’s top leagues, the Classic 8.

— mark stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Journal Sentinel all-area girls basketball: The future is bright," 3 Apr. 2018
But there are Major League-caliber players in all those leagues.

— clark spencer, miamiherald, "This Marlins pitcher came out of nowhere. Now, he’s somewhere big | Miami Herald," 2 Apr. 2018
And only a genius shot-maker and strategy-thinker the caliber of Federer would have made it through that match.

— bill dwyre, latimes.com, "Despite Roger Federer's finesse, the tennis world was sent a strong message at Indian Wells," 17 Mar. 2018
Many, many decades have passed since the Pac-12 (in its many forms) had so few NBA-caliber players.

— bruce jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bruce Jenkins: New rules insult the grand old game," 16 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'caliber.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of caliber

Medieval French calibre, from Old Italian calibro, from Arabic qālib shoemaker's last

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1588

in the meaning defined at sense 2b

See Words from the same year

caliber Synonyms

Synonyms

class, grade, quality, rate;

Related Words

hallmark;

mark;

footing, place, position, rank, standing, stature, status;

benchmark, criterion, measure, par, standard, touchstone, yardstick;

Other Weapons and Explosives Terms

automatic, carbine, cudgel, muzzle, rapier

CALIBER Defined for English Language Learners

caliber

noun

Definition of caliber for English Language Learners

: level of excellence, skill, etc.
: a measurement of the width of a bullet or a gun barrel

CALIBER Defined for Kids

caliber

noun cal·i·ber

variants: or calibre \ˈka-lə-bər\

Definition of caliber for Students

1 : level of excellence, skill, or importance

She is a writer of the highest caliber.

2 : the diameter of a bullet or of the hole in the barrel of a gun

Medical Dictionary

caliber

noun cal·i·ber

variants: or chiefly British calibre \ˈkal-ə-bər, British also kə-ˈlē-\

medical Definition of caliber

: the diameter of a round or cylindrical body; especially : the internal diameter of a hollow cylinder

Learn More about caliber

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for caliber Spanish Central: Translation of caliber Nglish: Translation of caliber for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of caliber for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about caliber

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caliber

Definition of caliber

Examples of caliber in a Sentence

Recent Examples of caliber from the Web

Origin and Etymology of caliber

caliber Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Weapons and Explosives Terms

CALIBER Defined for English Language Learners

caliber

Definition of caliber for English Language Learners

CALIBER Defined for Kids

caliber

Definition of caliber for Students

Medical Dictionary

caliber

medical Definition of caliber

Learn More about caliber

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