capacitor

American  

[kuh-pas-i-ter] / kəˈpæs ɪ tər /

noun

Electricity.

1. a device for accumulating and holding a charge of electricity, consisting of two equally charged conducting surfaces having opposite signs and separated by a dielectric.

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capacitor British  

/ kəˈpæsɪtə /

noun

1. Former name: condenser.  a device for accumulating electric charge, usually consisting of two conducting surfaces separated by a dielectric

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capacitor Scientific  

/ kə-păs′ĭ-tər /

1. An electrical device consisting of two conducting plates separated by an electrical insulator (the dielectric), designed to hold an electric charge. Charge builds up when a voltage is applied across the plates, creating an electric field between them. Current can flow through a capacitor only as the voltage across it is changing, not when it is constant. Capacitors are used in power supplies, amplifiers, signal processors, oscillators, and logic gates.

2. Compare induction coil resistor

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capacitor Cultural  

1. A device used in electrical circuits. The capacitor stores an electrical charge for short periods of time, and then returns it to the circuit.

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Etymology

Origin of capacitor

First recorded in 1925–30; capacit(y) + -or ²

Example Sentences

I wouldn’t thank Doc Brown’s flux capacitor for my millions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

When an external force is applied, the polymer compresses, drawing the copper strips closer together, thereby increasing the electric charge in the capacitor.

From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2023

The companies say in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that a capacitor on a circuit board in the oil pump assembly for the transmission may have been damaged by the supplier during manufacturing.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2023

With apologies to Dr. Emmett Brown, you don’t need a flux capacitor to build a time machine.

From New York Times • May 11, 2023

“Align the diode with the capacitor and then move the magnetron seven degrees left.”

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth