calibrate

verb

cal·i·brate | \ ˈka-lə-ˌbrāt

calibrated; calibrating

Definition of calibrate

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

The Neowise researchers’ model was calibrated with diameters for about a hundred asteroids that have been measured by radar, visiting spacecraft or when an asteroid passed in front of a distant star. — New York Times, "Asteroids and Adversaries: Challenging What NASA Knows About Space Rocks," 14 June 2018 Are Tesla's brakes calibrated to give good performance on challenging situations like wet or icy roads? — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Tesla’s over-the-air brake upgrade was amazing—and also a bit worrying," 31 May 2018 This fuse is calibrated to ignite the bursting charge when the shell reaches its highest point. — Kevin Davenport, idahostatesman, "O say can you see? The science behind the booms and blooms of Independence Day fireworks," 3 July 2018 According to Abuelsamid, conventional car companies spend months carefully calibrating these systems, testing them on a wide variety of surfaces and weather conditions. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Tesla’s over-the-air brake upgrade was amazing—and also a bit worrying," 31 May 2018 The Crazy Ones seemed perfectly calibrated for the older audience cultivated by CBS, which had a track record for giving new lifeblood to bygone TV stars, while the show provided Robin with distinct opportunities to improvise in each episode. — Dave Itzkoff, HWD, "Inside the Final Days of Robin Williams," 8 May 2018 The slide comes as global investors re-calibrate their expectations for internet and social media stocks in the wake of Facebook Inc.’s data scandal. — Steven Russolillo, WSJ, "Tencent Is Dangerously Close to Bear-Market Territory," 25 Apr. 2018 Dexcom and the Food and Drug Administration say the G6 is so accurate right out of the box, there’s no need to calibrate it two or three times a day, as had been the case with the G4 and G5. — David Lazarus, latimes.com, "Cutting-edge tech makes diabetes management easier (and less painful) than ever," 7 June 2018 Consider that such systems have to be calibrated by engineers to work mostly in an extreme event, typically moments from impact. — Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, "Tesla, Uber crashes spotlight automatic emergency braking. Here's what it won't do.," 29 May 2018

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.