capacitor

noun

ca·​pac·​i·​tor kə-ˈpa-sə-tər How to pronounce capacitor (audio)
: a device that is used to store electrical energy

Examples of capacitor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ingenious is the Sián’s use of a lightweight super capacitor instead of a conventional battery pack. — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 27 July 2026 Doing so can overwhelm it and even blow the capacitor in more extreme cases. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 22 July 2026 Each cluster contained a simple RLC resonator — a resistor, capacitor, and inductor, a combination that creates an oscillating electrical signal at a particular frequency. — Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2026 Many of them gloss over the scientific details with just enough information to ground you in the world and give it an air of plausibility, like Doc Brown’s flux capacitor or The Doctor’s TARDIS. — Amy Tordoff, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for capacitor

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of capacitor was in 1925

Browse Nearby Words

capacitivity
capacitor
capacitor motor
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Capacitor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capacitor. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

capacitor

noun
ca·​pac·​i·​tor kə-ˈpas-ət-ər How to pronounce capacitor (audio)
: a device for storing electric charge

called also condenser

Medical Definition

capacitor

noun
ca·​pac·​i·​tor kə-ˈpas-ət-ər How to pronounce capacitor (audio)
: a device giving capacitance and usually consisting of conducting plates or foils separated by thin layers of dielectric (as air or mica) with the plates on opposite sides of the dielectric layers oppositely charged by a source of voltage and the electrical energy of the charged system stored in the polarized dielectric

More from Merriam-Webster on capacitor

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about capacitor

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