From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcapacityca‧pac‧i‧ty /kəˈpæsəti/ ●●○ W3 AWL noun (plural capacities) 1 [singular]SIZE the amount of space a container, room etc has to hold things or peoplecapacity 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.► see thesaurus at size2 [countable, uncountable]CAN someone’s ability to do something OPP incapacitycapacity for a child’s capacity for learning an infinite capacity for lovecapacity to do something a capacity to think in an original way3 [singular] formalJOB/WORK someone’s job, position, or duty SYN rolein 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]BB 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.COLLOCATIONSphraseshave a capacity of 5/10 etc litresIt’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 capacityThe 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 + NOUNa 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.
Examples from the Corpus
capacity• The computer's memory has a capacity of over 200 megabytes.• Rollins will be working in an advisory capacity on this project.• Managerial candidates will need to call upon people who know them in different capacities to assist in their self-diagnosis.• He has an enormous capacity for hard work.• Soil water was restored weekly to field capacity.• In her capacity as war correspondent for ABC News, she has traveled all over the world.• In the stage when she begins forming her own inner values, her capacities for paying attention reach a new dimension.• He works for this firm in a legal capacity, giving advice on international law.• I'm here in my capacity as Union Representative.• The resulting slump left a considerable proportion of productive capacity idle.• Children have a remarkable capacity to learn language.• Cheryl's capacity for understanding and compassion is impressive.• Getting moving here won't mitigate the despair; but it would at least show some capacity to think beyond the sourly inescapable.• Hence Phoenix always keeps at least two of its garbage districts in public hands-so it will always have the capacity to compete.• The capacity of the tank should be 500 gallons or more.• But they never lost their capacity for diplomacy no matter what the provocation.• All the storage units were filled to capacity.• The car's fold-down rear seat increases the trunk capacity.filled to capacity• Four 26-week groups are run simultaneously and are always filled to capacity.• A safety valve releases any excess pressure once the air chamber has been filled to capacity.• The Lake District National Park is filled to capacity for much of the summer.• The ship, it is said, is filled to capacity with sperm oil.• Were the planes leaving Sky Harbor for Texas and Pennsylvania filled to capacity?• This year over 200,000 people will die from heart disease; that's Wembley stadium filled to capacity four times over!• The room was filled to capacity that night with professionals all dressed up and on their best behavior.• Participants said the city's main square was filled to capacity.capacity to do something• That all living creatures possess a capacity to learn is apparent from the way they find their way around an environment.• The right person for the job must show a capacity to work independently.• Case Study Beyond Statistics Statistics have a dangerous capacity to undermine the vividness of many of these issues.• People have a limited capacity to sustain interest in politics.• But not a loner. Capacity to attach to a firm, a team.• Mr Howard said the country's capacity to admit asylum seekers was reaching breaking point.• Bureaucratic forms of administration would reduce the state's capacity to direct the economy effectively.• Beyond that Spoornet will continue investing steadily to take capacity to 38 million tonnes a year by 2010.• This gives a breathing space for people to establish a sense of their capacity to live without drink.(do something) in your capacity as something• In his capacity as world-wide planning coordinator, Mueller had been invited by Nate Cocello to attend the meeting as an observer.• In your capacity as a conductor you often perform the same works again and again.• Buthelezi had repeatedly insisted on a meeting with Mandela on an equal footing and in his capacity as head of Inkatha.• He also came under attack in his capacity as a revenue farmer and would-be monopolist.• Prince Charles, in his capacity as president of the charity Business in the Community, was to be the guest speaker.• They may petition for mercy from the prime minister in his capacity as military governor.• Hitherto defacto president in his capacity as Supreme Soviet Chair, he defeated one other candidate.at full capacity• By early 1977, Tarrytown was back at full capacity with a work force of nearly 3,800 workers.• Already there are sawmills that can not operate at full capacity because of wood shortages.• The shutdown had no effect on Calvert Cliffs Unit One, which continues to operate at full capacity.• The reactor had been operating at full capacity.From Longman Business Dictionarycapacityca‧pac‧i‧ty /kəˈpæsəti/ noun1[uncountable] the amount of space a container, room etc has to hold things or peopleThe fuel tank has a capacity of 12 gallons.a conference room with a seating capacity of 5002MANUFACTURING[uncountable] the amount of something that a factory, company, machine etc can produce or deal withOur production capacity has gone up again, with a throughput (=the amount dealt with) of 800 tabloid pages per week.When working to full capacity (=producing as much as possible), the shipyard employed more than thirty craftsmen and apprentices.3[singular]JOB someone’s job, position, or dutyRollins will be working in an advisory capacity on this project.I attended in my capacity as chairman of the safety committee. → legal capacity → see also debt capacity, dual capacityOrigin capacity (1400-1500) French capacité, from Latin capacitas, from capax; → CAPACIOUS 