Dictionary

caliber en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈkæl.ə.bə(ɹ)/ (Australia)
• /ˈkæl.ɪ.bə(ɹ)/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈkæl.ɪ.bɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈkæl.ə.bɚ/ (General-American)

Etymology

From French calibre (“bore of a gun, size, capacity (literally, and figuratively), also weight”), from Italian calibro.

Meanings

1. (US, countable, uncountable) Diameter of the bore of a firearm, typically measured between opposite lands.
2. (US, countable, uncountable) The diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, a projectile, or a column.
3. (US, countable, uncountable) A nominal name for a cartridge type, which may not exactly indicate its true size and may include other measurements such as cartridge length or black powder capacity. Eg 7.62×39 or 38.40.
4. (US, countable, uncountable) Unit of measure used to express the length of the bore of a weapon. The number of calibres is determined by dividing the length of the bore of the weapon, from the breech face of the tube to the muzzle, by the diameter of its bore. A gun tube the bore of which is 40 feet (480 inches) long and 12 inches in diameter is said to be 40 calibers long.
5. (US, countable, figuratively, uncountable) Relative size, importance, magnitude.
   • A snort of about the calibre of an explosion in an ammunition dump escaped my late father's sister. 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XIII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
6. (US, countable, figuratively, uncountable) Capacity or compass of mind.
7. (US, countable, dated, uncountable) Degree of importance or station in society.
8. (US, countable, uncountable) Movement of a timepiece.

Forms

Deriveds

subcaliber · polycaliber · multicaliber · monocaliber · calibered

Descendants

calabra · calibr

Relateds

calibrate · calipers · calibration

Translations (91)

tr çap (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · hy տրամաչափ (unit of measure of the length of the bore of a weapon) · mi kūpara (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · vi cỡ (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · ar عِيَار (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · be калі́бр (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · pt calibre (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · cmn 直徑 /直径 (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · es calaña (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · gd meudachd (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · ro calibru (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · sq kalibër (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · nn kaliber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · de Format (obsolete: degree of importance or station in society) · tg калибр (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · da format (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · bg кали́бър (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · da kaliber (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · sl kaliber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · he קָלִיבֵּר (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · de Kaliber (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · cs ráž (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · pt calibre (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · hu kaliber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · mi kūpara (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · bn ক্যালিবার (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · es calibre (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · az çap (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · lt kalibras (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · it calibro (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · sh кали́бар (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · mk кали́бар (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · tr kalibre (unit of measure of the length of the bore of a weapon) · nl kaliber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · eo kalibro (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · gd meudachd (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · nn kaliber (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · be калі́бар (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · uk калі́бр (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · de Format (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · fa کالیبر (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · as ক্যালিবৰ (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · sv kaliber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · mi pūmanawa (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · pl kaliber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · el διαμέτρημα (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · da kaliber (unit of measure of the length of the bore of a weapon) · de Durchmesser (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · de Kaliber (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · de Wert (obsolete: degree of importance or station in society) · ru кали́бр (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · ko 구경 (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · es calibre (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · es calibre (unit of measure of the length of the bore of a weapon) · ja 口径 (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · de Kaliber (obsolete: degree of importance or station in society) · bg кали́бър (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · hy տրամաչափ (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · nn kaliber (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · tl kalibre (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · et kaliiber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · fi kaliiperi (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · de Bohrung (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · vi ca líp (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · hy տրամաչափ (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · cs kalibr (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · lv kalibrs (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · nb kaliber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · cmn 才幹 /才干 (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · de Kaliber (unit of measure of the length of the bore of a weapon) · ka კალიბრი (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · sh kalíbar (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · tr kalibre (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · hi कैलिबर (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · sv kaliber (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · fr calibre (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · tr kalibre (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · nb kaliber (diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column) · sk kaliber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · ota چاپ (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · vi cữ (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · fi kaliiperi (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · nb kaliber (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · kk калибр (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · de Kaliber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · ky калибр (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · uz kalibr (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · ja 力量 (figuratively: capacity or compass of mind) · da kaliber (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · cmn 口徑 /口径 (diameter of the bore of a firearm) · cs ráže (diameter of the bore of a firearm)