capacitor

noun

ca·​pac·​i·​tor kə-ˈpa-sə-tər 

: a device that is used to store electrical energy

Examples of capacitor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Each pair of these coils is connected to its own rectifier, while a 100,000 microfarad capacitor stores the rectified energy. —Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026

Independent digital and analog power supplies, along with ELNA capacitors, deliver clarity, dynamics and tonal accuracy. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Sometimes motors are failing, capacitors are going weak. —Sergio Candido, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

These insulating layers sit at the heart of capacitors and transistors. —Mahesh Nepal, The Conversation, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

capacitor

noun

ca·​pac·​i·​tor kə-ˈpas-ət-ər 

: a device for storing electric charge

called also condenser

Medical Definition

capacitor

noun

ca·​pac·​i·​tor kə-ˈpas-ət-ər 

: 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