capacity
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
capacities
plural
capacities
Britannica Dictionary definition of CAPACITY
1
a
[count]
:
the ability to hold or contain people or things
— usually singular
-
The restaurant has a large seating capacity. [=many people can sit in the restaurant; it has many seats]
-
What is the hard drive's storage capacity?
b
:
the largest amount or number that can be held or contained
[count]
-
The nightclub has a 1,000-person capacity.
-
a bottle with a capacity of two liters
[noncount]
-
The prison has reached capacity. [=the prison is full]
-
The auditorium was filled to capacity. [=was completely full]
2
:
the ability to do something
:
a mental, emotional, or physical ability
— usually singular
[noncount]
-
Some species of birds do not have the capacity [=ability] to fly.
-
Does he have the capacity to handle this job?
-
The disease causes a deterioration of breathing capacity.
[count]
-
the machine's computational capacities [=capabilities]
-
a character with a great capacity for love [=a character who is able to love people very deeply]
3
[count]
:
a usually official position or job
:
role
-
He was acting in his capacity as judge.
-
She's worked for the company in various capacities over the years. [=she has had various jobs at the company]
-
serving in a supervisory capacity
4
[noncount]
:
the amount of something that can be produced or managed by a factory, company, etc.
-
a plan to double the factory's capacity
-
We can't hire more people because we lack the training capacity.
-
the nation's oil refining capacity
also
:
the largest amount that a factory, company, etc., can produce or manage
-
The factory is currently running at three-quarter capacity. [=the factory is producing three quarters of what it can produce]
-
The airport is not expected to reach capacity [=the highest number of planes it can deal with] for several years.
