Capacity Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)
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
[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_]
— usually singular
- 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
:
- 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.