2
N‑UNCOUNT
The
capacity
of something such as a factory, industry, or region is the quantity of things that it can produce or deliver with the equipment or resources that are available. □
Bread factories are working at full capacity.
□
The region is valued for its coal and vast electricity-generating capacity.
3
N‑COUNT
The
capacity
of a piece of equipment is its size or power, often measured in particular units. □ [+ of
]
…an aircraft with a bomb-carrying capacity of 454 kg.
4
N‑VAR
The
capacity
of a container is its volume, or the amount of liquid it can hold, measured in units such as litres or gallons. □ [+ of
]
…the fuel tanks, which had a capacity of 140 litres.
□
Grease 6 ramekin dishes of 150 ml (5–6 fl oz) capacity.
5
N‑SING
[oft to
N
] The
capacity
of a building, place, or vehicle is the number of people or things that it can hold. If a place is filled
to capacity
, it is as full as it can possibly be. □ [+ of
]
Each stadium had a seating capacity of about 50,000.
□
Toronto hospital maternity wards were filled to capacity.
6
ADJ
[ADJ
n] A
capacity
crowd or audience completely fills a theatre, sports stadium, or other place. □
A capacity crowd of 76,000 people was at Wembley football stadium for the event.
7
N‑COUNT
[in
N
] If you do something
in
a particular
capacity
, you do it as part of a particular job or duty, or because you are representing a particular organization or person. [WRITTEN
] □ [+ as
]
She visited the Philippines in her capacity as a Special Representative of Unicef.
□
This article is written in a personal capacity.
COLLOCATIONS
capacity
NOUN
1
adjective + capacity
: creative, earning, intellectual, mental; diminished, limited
verb + capacity
: boost, develop
2
adjective + capacity
: full, maximum, spare; productive
verb + capacity
: boost, expand, increase; reduce
3
noun + capacity
: engine, fuel
4
noun + capacity
: lung, storage
SYNONYMS
capacity
NOUN
1
ability:He has the ability to bring out the best in others.
facility:He and Marcia shared a facility for languages.
aptitude:Some students have more aptitude for academic work than others.
capability:People experience differences in mental capability depending on the time of day.
cape
/ke
I
p/ (capes
)
1
N‑COUNT
A
cape
is a large piece of land that sticks out into the sea from the coast. □
In 1978, Naomi James became the first woman to sail solo around the world via Cape Horn.
2
N‑COUNT
A
cape
is a short cloak. □
…a woollen cape.
ca|per
/ke
I
pə
r
/ (capers
, capering
, capered
)
1
N‑COUNT
[usu pl]
Capers
are the small green buds of caper plants. They are usually sold preserved in vinegar.
2
VERB
If you
caper
about
, you run and jump around because you are happy or excited. □ [V
adv/prep]
They were capering about, shouting and laughing.
ca|pil|lary
/kəp
I
ləri, [AM
] kæ
pəleri/ (capillaries
) N‑COUNT
Capillaries
are tiny blood vessels in your body.
capi|tal
◆◆◆ /kæ
p
I
t
ə
l/ (capitals
)
1
N‑UNCOUNT
Capital
is a large sum of money which you use to start a business, or which you invest in order to make more money. [BUSINESS
] □
Companies are having difficulty in raising capital.
□
A large amount of capital is invested in all these branches.
2
N‑UNCOUNT
[usu N
n] You can use
capital
to refer to buildings or machinery which are necessary to produce goods or to make companies more efficient, but which do not make money directly. [BUSINESS
] □
…capital equipment that could have served to increase production.
□
…capital investment.
