1. To establish or check how an instrument or model relates to known reference values or observed data.
2. To adjust a response, judgment, or policy carefully to fit relevant conditions.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- calibrate an instrument
- calibrate against a standard
- calibrate a response
On the page
Technicians calibrated the scales using certified weights.
The subsidy must be calibrated to the actual cost of transport.
A model calibrated on urban households may perform poorly in villages.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- calibrate / calibrates
- Past tense
- calibrated
- Past participle
- calibrated
- Present participle
- calibrating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- calibrate / calibrates
- Present continuous
- am/is/are calibrating
- Present perfect
- have/has calibrated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been calibrating
- Past
- calibrated
- Past continuous
- was/were calibrating
- Past perfect
- had calibrated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been calibrating
- Future
- will calibrate / calibrates
- Future continuous
- will be calibrating
- Future perfect
- will have calibrated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been calibrating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic. The measurement sense requires a reference. In metrology, calibration need not alter the instrument: calibration and adjustment are distinct operations. Figuratively, calibrate means to adjust a response, judgment, or model carefully to fit relevant conditions. Verb inflections [base, third-person singular, past, past participle, -ing]: calibrate, calibrates, calibrated, calibrated, calibrating. Derived family (not inflections): calibration.
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