capacity

Everyday

1. The amount a container can hold. tree →
2. The largest number of people a place can hold. tree →
3. Ability to do something. tree →
4. (formal) A role or position: "in her capacity as head teacher". tree →

In the lessons

A key maths word: capacity of jugs and bottles in litres and millilitres. In everyday life: the stadium has a capacity of 40,000; "full to capacity". Phrases: full to capacity, capacity of, in my capacity as.

Examples

• The jug has a capacity of 2 litres. tree →
• The hall was full to capacity. tree →
• The bus has a capacity of 52 passengers. tree →
• What is the capacity of the fish tank? tree →
• She has a great capacity for hard work. tree →
• Speaking in her capacity as head teacher, she thanked the parents. tree →
• The manner in which these tales are told, however, may often be taken as a test of the intellectual capacity of their tellers. tree →

Note

Maths: capacity is how much it can hold (measured in ml, l, gallons, pints); volume is how much space something takes up. Capacity is a maximum, not the amount actually in it: a 2-litre jug might hold only 1 litre now.