caliber

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

variants: or

calibre

Definition of caliber

1a : degree of mental capacity or moral quality teachers of high caliberb : degree of excellence or importance the caliber of instruction
2a : the diameter of a bullet or other projectileb : 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

Labyrinth, while not necessarily considered Muppets-caliber by many Henson fans, is a cult favorite that rarely gets its professional due.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "A Quote-Along Version of Labyrinth Is Premiering at the Ace Hotel, and Now We Must Lie Down", 28 June 2017
From Larry Bird to Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing to Vince Carter, and even LeBron, the draft was integral to the construction of a playoff-caliber squad.

— matt giles, Longreads, "The Fading Relevance of the NBA Draft", 28 June 2017
Not many teams have a kicker the caliber of Daniel Carlson.

— tom green, AL.com, "Auburn MVP 10: Special teams weapon Daniel Carlson checks in at No. 9", 27 June 2017
Harden and Leonard also had MVP-caliber seasons: _____ JAMES HARDEN, HOUSTON As stunning as Westbrook’s triple-double binge was this season, Harden’s was impressive, too.

— cliff brunt, The Seattle Times, "Westbrook set to learn if his historic season was an MVP one", 25 June 2017
After struggling with a reputation for poor quality in the 1990s, Hyundai Chairman Chung Mong-Koo started studying Toyota and other high-caliber carmakers and put a similar ethos to work with his companies’ vehicles.

— david welch, Bloomberg.com, "Lexus Loses Its Luster in J.D. Power Quality Study", 21 June 2017
On April 14, Marshall went into the victim's house, an arrest citation states that Marshall and the victim were familiar, and stole his Springfield Arms .40 caliber handgun.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "LMPD: Man accused of stealing friend's gun, shooting him in foot", 21 June 2017
Police found 30 ammunition casings — from bullets of at least two different calibers — at the crime scene.

— dan morse, Washington Post, "‘We believe they were targeted.’ New details in double murder of teens in Maryland", 16 June 2017
Would Fitzgerald have put up better numbers against championship-caliber opposition?

— mark inabinett, AL.com, "Zach Cunningham earns Tennessee Player of the Year honor", 9 June 2017

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

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First Known Use: 1588

See Words from the same year

Other Weapons and Explosives Terms

automatic, carbine, cudgel, muzzle, rapier

CALIBER Defined for English Language Learners

caliber

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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

play

noun cal·i·ber \ˈka-lə-bər\

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