ca ‧ pac ‧ i ‧ ty S3 W2 AC /kəˈpæsəti, kəˈpæsɪti/ BrE AmE noun ( plural capacities )
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: capacité , from Latin capacitas , from capax ; ⇨ ↑ capacious ]
1 . [singular] the amount of space a container, room etc has to hold things or people
capacity of
The fuel tank has a capacity of 40 litres.
The room had seating capacity for about 80.
The orchestra played to a capacity crowd (=the largest number of people who can fit into a hall, theatre etc) .
All the hotels were filled to capacity.
2 . [uncountable and countable] someone’s ability to do something OPP incapacity
capacity for
a child’s capacity for learning
an infinite capacity for love
capacity to do something
a capacity to think in an original way
3 . [singular] formal someone’s job, position, or duty SYN role
in a professional/official etc capacity
Rollins will be working in an advisory capacity on this project.
(do something) in your capacity as something
I attended the meeting in my capacity as chairman of the safety committee.
4 . [singular, uncountable] the amount of something that a factory, company, machine etc can produce or deal with:
The company has the capacity to build 1,500 trucks a year.
The factory has been working at full capacity (=making the most amount of things that it can) .
5 . [singular, uncountable] the size or power of something such as an engine:
The tax on cars is still based on engine capacity.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ phrases
▪ have a capacity of 5/10 etc litres
It’s a small microwave which has a capacity of 0.6 cubic feet.
▪ be filled to capacity (=be completely full)
The courtroom was filled to capacity.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + capacity
▪ limited capacity
The hospitals have a limited capacity.
▪ high capacity (=able to hold a lot of things or people)
There was demand for a high capacity public transport system.
▪ storage capacity (=how much information a computer disk, CD-Rom etc can hold)
The storage capacity is about 250 megabytes.
▪ seating capacity (=how many seats there are in a theatre, hall etc)
The largest hall in the university has a seating capacity of over 1,500.
■ capacity + NOUN
▪ a capacity audience (=the largest number of people who can fill a theatre, hall etc)
The lecture attracted a capacity audience.
▪ a capacity crowd (=the largest number of people that can fit in a place)
A capacity crowd of 40,000 turned up at the stadium.
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THESAURUS
▪ size noun [uncountable and countable] how big someone or something is:
What size is that shirt?
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The price will depend on the size and quality of the carpet.
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Your desk is exactly the same size as mine.
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Fire has destroyed an area of forest the size of Luxembourg.
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The seeds are very small, about half the size of a grain of salt.
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There were several pieces of wood of different sizes.
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Cover the dough and allow it to rise until it has doubled in size.
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The black spots on her skin seemed to be slowly increasing in size.
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The American states vary enormously in size, from very large to very small.
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In a class this size, there will always be a few problems.
▪ dimensions noun [plural] the length, width, and height of an object, room, building etc:
What are the dimensions of the table?
▪ measurements noun [plural] the length, width, or height of something, or of someone’s body:
I need to check the measurements of the window.
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your waist measurement is 31 inches
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The nurse took my measurements.
▪ proportions noun [plural] the relative sizes of the different parts of an object, room, building etc:
The proportions don’t look right to me.
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You can sit in the Plaza and admire the proportions of the cathedral.
▪ area noun [uncountable and countable] the amount of space that a flat surface such as a floor or field covers:
To measure the area of a room, you need to multiply the length by the width.
▪ extent noun [uncountable] the size of a large area:
The extent of the ranch is enormous.
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The island measured about 1,600 kilometres in extent.
▪ bulk noun [uncountable] the very large size of something:
The statue’s massive bulk made it difficult to move.
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his enormous bulk
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The view was dominated by the huge bulk of the power station.
▪ capacity noun [singular] the amount that a container will hold:
The capacity of the tank is around 500 gallons.
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The computer’s memory has a capacity of over 200 megabytes.
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All the storage units were filled to capacity.
▪ volume noun [singular] the amount of space that a substance fills, or that an object contains:
The average domestic swimming pool has a volume of 45,000 litres.
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This instrument measures the volume of air in your lungs.
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Help me figure out the volume of this fish tank.
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The shifting of continents has an impact on the volume of water the oceans can contain.