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 But those peak around 1,000 degrees, because each heliostat has to be individually calibrated and can fall out of alignment over time. — Laura Mallonee, Wired, "Automated Solar Arrays Could Help Incinerate Global Warming," 21 Jan. 2020 This life-saving gizmo is calibrated to detect the carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulfide found in a toot or a Number 2. — Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, "Charmin Unveils a Robot That Delivers Toilet Paper to You," 8 Jan. 2020 But the gambit was calibrated so as not to further draw the ire of President Trump, who along with Iranian leaders appeared to ease tensions on Wednesday. — Melissa Etehadstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "The general is dead. The missiles have flown. What next?," 8 Jan. 2020 Satellites can calibrate using global surface data to improve forecasts. — Michael J. Coren, Quartz, "Seagoing drones are eliminating the data gap on Earth’s last frontier," 4 Dec. 2019 In North America, few tree ring records can precisely calibrate such early radiocarbon dates, but a state-of-the-art probabilistic model placed the start of the occupation at between 16,560 and 15,280 years. — Lizzie Wade, Science | AAAS, "First people in the Americas came by sea, ancient tools unearthed by Idaho river suggest," 29 Aug. 2019 Most were calibrating drones or ground robots before the clock started running. — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "A Cave Is No Place for Humans, So DARPA Is Sending In the Robots," 23 Aug. 2019 But Okpokwasili knows just how to calibrate its quickening cadences. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "‘For Colored Girls’ Review: Ntozake Shange’s Women Endure," 22 Oct. 2019 At each measuring point, the machine must be calibrated before taking readings for two sessions of three minutes each. — Joanna Slater, The Denver Post, "Is Mt. Everest shrinking? Nepal on a mission to measure the world’s tallest mountain.," 21 Oct. 2019

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.