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

Inflected Forms

noun

• 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

The company had said it intends to deploy its first satellites as early as 2028 and begin monetizing capacity by the end of the decade.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026

The Latino-centric gift shop reached maximum capacity with a new pop-up art exhibit titled “El Fútbol Es del Pueblo,” featuring over 30 artworks that provide commentary on the global sport.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

Mr. Homan says Delaney Hall has capacity for 1,000 people but is holding only 706.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

The east London airport - which already has permission to increase passenger capacity - wants approval to lower the flight approach path and accommodate planes such as Airbus A320neo.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

For Darwinian evolution to work, the mechanism of inheritance had to possess an intrinsic capacity to conserve information without becoming diluted or dispersed.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

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