noun · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkæl.ɪ.bə(ɹ)/
General-American:/ˈkæl.ə.bɚ/
General-American:/ˈkæl.ɪ.bɚ/
Australian:/ˈkæl.ə.bə(ɹ)/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K AE1 L AH0 B ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Diameter of the bore of a firearm, typically measured between opposite lands.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, a projectile, or a column.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Relative size, importance, magnitude.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, figuratively, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
Capacity or compass of mind.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, figuratively, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
Degree of importance or station in society.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, dated, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
Movement of a timepiece.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, countable, uncountable
Topics: hobbies, horology, lifestyle
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
a degree or grade of excellence or worth
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the quality of students has risen
an executive of low caliber
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: quality, calibre
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: degree, grade, level
Narrower terms: superiority, high quality, inferiority, low quality
10
noun
Meaning 10
diameter of a tube or gun barrel
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bore, gauge, calibre
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: diameter, diam
History
Etymology
From French calibre (“bore of a gun, size, capacity (literally, and figuratively), also weight”), from Italian calibro.
Across languages
Translations
91 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
kalibër
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Arabic:
عِيَار
(ʕiyār)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Armenian:
տրամաչափ
(tramačʻapʻ)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Assamese:
ক্যালিবৰ
(kyalibor)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Azerbaijani:
çap
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Belarusian:
калі́бр
(kalíbr)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Belarusian:
калі́бар
(kalíbar)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Bengali:
ক্যালিবার
(kêlibar)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Bulgarian:
кали́бър
(kalíbǎr)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Chinese Mandarin:
口徑 /口径
(kǒujìng)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Czech:
ráže
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Czech:
ráž
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Czech:
kalibr
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Danish:
kaliber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Dutch:
kaliber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Esperanto:
kalibro
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Estonian:
kaliiber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Finnish:
kaliiperi
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
French:
calibre
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Georgian:
კალიბრი
(ḳalibri)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
German:
Kaliber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
German:
Durchmesser
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
German:
Bohrung
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Greek:
διαμέτρημα
(diamétrima)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Hebrew:
קָלִיבֵּר
(kalíber)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Hindi:
कैलिबर
(kailibar)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Hungarian:
kaliber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Italian:
calibro
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Japanese:
口径
(kōkei)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Kazakh:
калибр
(kalibr)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Korean:
구경
(gugyeong)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Kyrgyz:
калибр
(kalibr)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Latvian:
kalibrs
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Lithuanian:
kalibras
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Macedonian:
кали́бар
(kalíbar)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Māori:
kūpara
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Norwegian Bokmål:
kaliber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Norwegian Nynorsk:
kaliber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Persian:
کالیبر
(kâlibr)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Polish:
kaliber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Portuguese:
calibre
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Romanian:
calibru
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Russian:
кали́бр
(kalíbr)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Scottish Gaelic:
meudachd
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Serbo-Croatian:
кали́бар
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Serbo-Croatian:
kalíbar
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Slovak:
kaliber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Slovene:
kaliber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Spanish:
calibre
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Swedish:
kaliber
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Tagalog:
kalibre
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Tajik:
калибр
(kalibr)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Turkish:
kalibre
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Turkish:
çap
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Ottoman Turkish:
چاپ
(çap)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Ukrainian:
калі́бр
(kalíbr)
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Uzbek:
kalibr
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Vietnamese:
ca líp
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Vietnamese:
cỡ
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Vietnamese:
cữ
— diameter of the bore of a firearm
Armenian:
տրամաչափ
(tramačʻapʻ)
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
Bulgarian:
кали́бър
(kalíbǎr)
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
Chinese Mandarin:
直徑 /直径
(zhíjìng)
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
German:
Kaliber
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
Māori:
kūpara
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
Norwegian Bokmål:
kaliber
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
Norwegian Nynorsk:
kaliber
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
Portuguese:
calibre
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
Scottish Gaelic:
meudachd
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
Spanish:
calibre
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
Turkish:
kalibre
— diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, projectile or column
Armenian:
տրամաչափ
(tramačʻapʻ)
— unit of measure of the length of the bore of a weapon
Danish:
kaliber
— unit of measure of the length of the bore of a weapon
German:
Kaliber
— unit of measure of the length of the bore of a weapon
Spanish:
calibre
— unit of measure of the length of the bore of a weapon
Turkish:
kalibre
— unit of measure of the length of the bore of a weapon
Chinese Mandarin:
才幹 /才干
(cáigàn)
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
Danish:
kaliber
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
Danish:
format
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
Finnish:
kaliiperi
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
German:
Kaliber
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
German:
Format
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
Japanese:
力量
(rikiryō)
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
Māori:
pūmanawa
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
Norwegian Bokmål:
kaliber
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
Norwegian Nynorsk:
kaliber
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
Spanish:
calaña
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
Swedish:
kaliber
— figuratively: capacity or compass of mind
German:
Kaliber
— obsolete: degree of importance or station in society
German:
Wert
— obsolete: degree of importance or station in society
German:
Format
— obsolete: degree of importance or station in society
