Caliber
/ˈkælɪbər/
Definitions
2 meaningsThe standard of quality or skill of something or someone.
/ˈkælɪbər/
The quality of someone's character or the level of their ability.
The musician displayed exceptional caliber.
💡 Simply: How good something or someone is.
More Examples
Her work was of the highest caliber.
How It's Used
"The company is looking for candidates of the highest caliber."
"The soldiers demonstrated exceptional caliber during the training exercise."
The diameter of a gun barrel, or a bullet.
/ˈkælɪbər/
The diameter of a bullet or the inside diameter of the barrel of a firearm.
The pistol was a .45 caliber.
💡 Simply: The size of a bullet or a gun barrel.
How It's Used
"The rifle is a .30 caliber."
From Middle French calibre, from Italian calibro, from Arabic qālib 'mold, form'. Originally referred to the diameter of a bullet or cannon bore, later extending to metaphorical uses.
Initially used to describe the diameter of a firearm barrel, its figurative use describing quality emerged later.
Memory tip
Think 'calibre' as the 'caliber' of a gun - a high-caliber gun is a high-quality gun.