facility

American  

[fuh-sil-i-tee] / fəˈsɪl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

facilities

1. Often facilities

   1. something designed, built, installed, etc., to serve a specific function affording a convenience or service.

      transportation facilities;

      educational facilities;

      a new research facility.

   2. something that permits the easier performance of an action, course of conduct, etc..

      to provide someone with every facility for accomplishing a task;

      to lack facilities for handling bulk mail.

2. readiness or ease due to skill, aptitude, or practice; dexterity.

   to compose with great facility.

3. ready compliance.

   Her facility in organizing and directing made her an excellent supervisor.

4. an easy-flowing manner.

   facility of style.

5. the quality of being easily or conveniently done or performed.

6. Informal. Often facilities a restroom, especially one for use by the public, as in a theater or restaurant.

7. freedom from difficulty, controversy, misunderstanding, etc..

   facility of understanding.

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facility British  

/ fəˈsɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. ease of action or performance; freedom from difficulty

2. ready skill or ease deriving from practice or familiarity

3. (often plural) the means or equipment facilitating the performance of an action

4. rare easy-going disposition

5. military an organization or building offering supporting capability

6. (usually plural) a euphemistic word for lavatory

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Other Word Forms

• nonfacility noun
• overfacility noun

Etymology

Origin of facility

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English facilite, from Middle French or directly from Latin facilitās; facile, -ity

Example Sentences

More than $210 billion was spent on building manufacturing facilities in the U.S. last year, double the amount External link spent in 2021, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

From Barron's

She said the men's were designed to celebrate "gorgeous fish and incredible hues of colour" in an underwater-themed facility.

From BBC

On Monday, Texas health authorities warned of two measles cases at the facility, prompting ICE to quarantine some people held there.

From Barron's

Abdirahman, a 60-year-old grandmother, was bitten while herding livestock in Mandera county in Kenya's northeast, a hotspot for the parasite but with only three treatment facilities capable of treating the disease.

From Barron's

The U.S. bases submarines in Guam, but China could hit the U.S. territory with a missile barrage early, possibly knocking out the island’s military facilities.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accommodation
• amenity
• equipment
• material
• resource
• tool