calibrate

verb

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cal·i·brate | \ ˈka-lə-ˌbrāt

calibrated; calibrating

Definition of calibrate

transitive verb

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

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Examples of calibrate in a Sentence

carefully calibrate the dosage of a medicine

Recent Examples on the Web About 900 medical staff have been sent to San Antonio hospitals to assist with the surge, and Mayor Ron Nirenberg said health care systems are working to calibrate their capacity, including in intensive care units. — Lauren Caruba, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio’s coronavirus positivity rate spikes to 19.2 percent as COVID-19 hospitalizations approach summer levels," 28 Dec. 2020 The five swatches—Nomex, Gore-tex, Kevlar, Vectran and Teflon—are nestled next to a piece of helmet visor and the Martian meteorite that SHERLOC will use to calibrate its sensors. — Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, "Here Are Three Things the Perseverence Rover Will Do When It Gets to Mars," 30 July 2020 For the past four years, during Rico’s steady ascent to national stardom, some have heard her charismatic petulance as a punk-rock echo, and that’s one way to calibrate your ears to her musical nya-nya. — Washington Post, "Rico Nasty will show you what mischief sounds like," 10 Dec. 2020 These data help cryosphere researchers calibrate the accuracy of instruments on board weather satellites. — Marcello Rossi, Smithsonian Magazine, "24 Ways To Turn Outdoor Passions Into Citizen Science," 29 Dec. 2020 The team will cross calibrate the data of both satellites over the next year before Jason-3's mission ends. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "A satellite that will track Earth's sea level rise is ready to launch," 21 Nov. 2020 Staymates used his own respiratory data to calibrate the mannequin to breathe like a human. — Popular Science, "Why you should think twice before opting for a valved N95 mask," 12 Nov. 2020 Regions dated with Apollo and Luna samples have helped calibrate the method. — Dennis Normile, Science | AAAS, "China set to bring back first rocks from the Moon in more than 40 years," 19 Nov. 2020 The young age of the samples could prove valuable to scientists on Earth, who can use them to better calibrate techniques for estimating the ages of geological surfaces on planets, moons and asteroids throughout the solar system. — Steven Lee Myers And Kenneth Chang New York Times, Star Tribune, "China lands spacecraft on moon," 1 Dec. 2020

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