capacitor
Americannoun
noun
-
An electrical device consisting of two conducting plates separated by an electrical insulator (the dielectric), designed to hold an electric charge. Charge builds up when a voltage is applied across the plates, creating an electric field between them. Current can flow through a capacitor only as the voltage across it is changing, not when it is constant. Capacitors are used in power supplies, amplifiers, signal processors, oscillators, and logic gates.
-
Compare induction coil resistor
Etymology
Origin of capacitor
First recorded in 1925–30; capacit(y) + -or 2
Vocabulary lists containing capacitor
Electricity and Magnetism - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Physics - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Physics - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Empower’s silicon capacitor technology is in production, while its integrated voltage regulator programs are advancing in collaboration with AI hyperscalers.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Simpler than a battery, a capacitor stores energy in the electrical field between conductive plates.
From Science Daily • Jan. 18, 2024
The companies say in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that a capacitor on a circuit board in the oil pump assembly for the transmission may have been damaged by the supplier during manufacturing.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2023
The pangrams from yesterday’s Spelling Bee were apricot, capacitor and patriotic.
From New York Times • Mar. 19, 2023
“Align the diode with the capacitor and then move the magnetron seven degrees left.”
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
