English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
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noun

capacity

kuh-PAS-ih-tee
noun
1
The greatest amount that something can hold, contain, or produce.
"The stadium has a seating capacity of sixty thousand."
"The factory is running at full capacity this month."
2
A person's ability or mental power to do or understand something.
"He has a real capacity for hard work."
3
A role or position in which someone acts.
"She attended the meeting in her capacity as legal advisor."

How to Use Capacity

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishHow much something can hold or produce, or how well someone can do something.

Common pairings
full capacity storage capacity in his capacity as capacity to learn

Word Forms

capacities plural

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Fill the Gap

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The stadium has a seating _____ of sixty thousand.

Etymology

From Latin capacitas, from capax ("able to hold much"), from capere ("to take, hold, seize") — the same root behind "capable" and "capture."

Rhymes for capacity

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Definitions: FreeDict original editorial