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

Engineers could potentially use its switching behavior in high-performance capacitors. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026

Murata is the world's largest supplier of multilayer ceramic capacitors, tiny yet essential components that regulate power flow in electronic devices from Apple iPhones to Tesla cars. — Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026

Because the coating stops being an insulator when its breakdown threshold is reached, the charge rips through it in a miniature dielectric breakdown, the same failure mode that kills capacitors and transformer insulation. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026

The obvious solution was a Marx generator, which converts low-voltage DC power into high-voltage bursts by slowly charging and then rapidly discharging multiple capacitors in parallel. — IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 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