Meaning & use
recalibrate
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Meanings
verbtransitivetechnical
To adjust a measuring device again so that its readings are correct.
Grammar: Takes an object, usually an instrument: recalibrate the scale.
Patterns
- recalibrate something
The technician recalibrated the scale after it gave odd readings.
You should recalibrate the sensor every six months.
The lab recalibrated the machine before each test.
verbtransitive or intransitivefigurative
To change a plan, attitude, or approach so that it better suits new conditions.
Grammar: Takes an object, or stands alone: we recalibrated our goals; we need to recalibrate.
Patterns
- recalibrate something
- recalibrate to something
After the setback, the team recalibrated its expectations.
She had to recalibrate her goals when her job changed.
Companies are recalibrating their strategies for a slower market.
Word forms
| third person singular | recalibrates |
|---|---|
| past tense | recalibrated |
| past participle | recalibrated |
| -ing form | recalibrating |
Common combinations
- recalibrate expectations
- We need to recalibrate expectations for next year.
- recalibrate an instrument
- They recalibrated the instrument before the experiment.
- recalibrate your approach
- Maybe it's time to recalibrate your approach to studying.
- recalibrate priorities
- The crisis forced her to recalibrate her priorities.
- regularly recalibrate
- Scientists must regularly recalibrate their equipment.
Synonyms and how they differ
- readjust
- Readjust is plainer and more general, and it does not have the measurement flavor that recalibrate keeps.
- reassess
- Reassess means thinking again about something, but recalibrate means actually tuning it to a new standard.
- fine-tune
- Fine-tune implies small improvements to something already good, while recalibrate can be a larger reset.
- reset
- Reset means returning to a starting state, whereas recalibrate sets the accuracy against a standard.
Opposites
Word family
- calibrate verb
- to mark or adjust an instrument for accuracy
- calibration noun
- the act of adjusting an instrument for accuracy
- recalibration noun
- the act of calibrating again
- calibre noun
- the quality of a person or the width of a gun barrel
Commonly confused: recalibrate or recalculate?
recalibrate vs recalculate
Recalculate means to work out numbers again, but recalibrate means to adjust a tool or approach.
Practice
After the sales dropped, the team decided to ___ its strategy for the new quarter.
Choose one answer.
Recalibrate means adjusting an approach to new conditions. Recruit means to hire and recollect means to remember, so they do not fit strategy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “recalibrate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.