capacity

American  

[kuh-pas-i-tee] / kəˈpæs ɪ ti /

noun

capacities plural

1. the ability to receive or contain.

   This hotel has a large capacity.

2. the maximum amount or number that can be received or contained; cubic contents; volume.

   The inn is filled to capacity.

   The gasoline tank has a capacity of 20 gallons.

   Synonyms:

   amplitude

3. power of receiving impressions, knowledge, etc.; mental ability.

   the capacity to learn calculus.

   Synonyms:

   talent, endowment

4. actual or potential ability to perform, yield, or withstand.

   He has a capacity for hard work.

   The capacity of the oil well was 150 barrels a day.

   She has the capacity to go two days without sleep.

   Synonyms:

   capability, competence, adequacy, aptitude

5. quality or state of being susceptible to a given treatment or action.

   Steel has a high capacity to withstand pressure.

6. position; function; role.

   He served in the capacity of legal adviser.

7. legal qualification.

8. Electricity.

   1. capacitance.

   2. maximum possible output.

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adjective

1. reaching maximum capacity.

   a capacity audience;

   a capacity crowd.

capacity British  

/ kəˈpæsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the ability or power to contain, absorb, or hold

2. the amount that can be contained; volume

   a capacity of six gallons

3. 1. the maximum amount something can contain or absorb (esp in the phrase filled to capacity )

   2. ( as modifier )

      a capacity crowd

4. the ability to understand or learn; aptitude; capability

   he has a great capacity for Greek

5. the ability to do or produce (often in the phrase at capacity )

   the factory's output was not at capacity

6. a specified position or function

   he was employed in the capacity of manager

7. a measure of the electrical output of a piece of apparatus such as a motor, generator, or accumulator

8. electronics a former name for capacitance

9. computing

   1. the number of words or characters that can be stored in a particular storage device

   2. the range of numbers that can be processed in a register

10. the bit rate that a communication channel or other system can carry

11. legal competence

    the capacity to make a will

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• capacities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of capacity

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English capacite, capasite, from Middle French, from Latin capācitāt-, stem of capācitās “ability, understanding,” equivalent to capāci- (stem of capāx “confident, fit, roomy,” equivalent to cap(ere) “to take, seize” + -āx, adjective suffix) + -tās -ty ²

Explanation

Capacity describes your ability to do something or the amount something can hold. If your bird cage is at full capacity, you can't stuff one more feathered friend in there without causing birdie claustrophobia. From the Latin word capacitatem meaning “breadth, capacity,” capacity is a noun that in the simplest sense means "ability" or "capability": the capability of a room to hold a certain number of people, the ability of a law to change crime rates, your ability to pick up foreign languages. You might hear about factories working at "full capacity" — that means at full speed, producing as much as they possibly can.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

capacity capacities

IAG said it no longer expects to expand capacity this year due to the conflict.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

The nonprofit is operating eight classrooms, which are expected to hit capacity at the beginning of August, serving 150 children.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

LaDeau told me that Aedes albopictus’ capacity to adapt is one of the things that most concerns her about the future of mosquito-borne disease in the U.S.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

Google itself describes its deal as short-term "backup capacity."

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Tall cases lined three walls of the room, filled to and beyond capacity.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

New York’s temporary ban applies to construction of large data centers with capacities of at least 50 megawatts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

This tournament features more matches than ever before, and North American stadiums have enormous capacities to accommodate even more fans, naturally upping the consumption of this World Cup.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

As such, the law says, Hawaii “possesses plenary authority to determine the powers and capacities of the artificial persons it creates.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

"We are prioritising those facilities, including the assessment of the structural safety, emergency department capacities, operating theatres, inpatient beds, blood supply, and oxygen," he said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Here’s more: “I feel a thousand capacities spring up in me. I am arch, gay, languid, melancholy by turns. I am rooted, but I flow. All gold, flowing...”

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

Related Words

• capability
• competence
• efficiency
• facility
• power
• readiness
• skill
• strength
• talent