as in capability
the physical or mental power to do something
as a result of the accident the once-vigorous athlete lost the ability to walk
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ability
Many of our studies focus on memory for music, demonstrating that people have a remarkable ability to recall melodies, pitch, tempo, and loudness with surprising accuracy, even without formal music training, suggesting that musical memory operates differently from other forms of memory.
—
Lindsay A. Fleming, Time, 15 Aug. 2025
Now is the time to improve your home’s ability to withstand hurricanes.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
Your ability to affect the world and be happy is not determined by an arbitrary system that is not set up for your benefit.
—Mary Frances Ruskell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
In the Senate, where the GOP currently has a slim 53 to 47 majority, being the party in charge is vital for the president and his ability to pass key legislation priorities, confirm nominees, including any potential Supreme Court vacancies.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ability
Lindsay A. Fleming, Time, 15 Aug. 2025
Now is the time to improve your home’s ability to withstand hurricanes.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
Your ability to affect the world and be happy is not determined by an arbitrary system that is not set up for your benefit.
—Mary Frances Ruskell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025
In the Senate, where the GOP currently has a slim 53 to 47 majority, being the party in charge is vital for the president and his ability to pass key legislation priorities, confirm nominees, including any potential Supreme Court vacancies.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ability
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ability
Noun
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The Awol Vision projector also boasts a high contrast ratio, weighs a bit less than many 4K projectors, and has built-in 3D capability.—
Clint Davis,
People.com,
23 Aug. 2025
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Digital capability is increasingly recognized as a key differentiator for Walmart.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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That demand is quickly outpacing capacity in states like Virginia, where larger and more clustered data centers strain local grids and transmission lines.—
Sarah Henry,
The Courier-Journal,
18 Aug. 2025
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The Birth Squad program focuses their support toward Black and Latinx communities and are working to expand capacity to serve more families, build partnerships, and lay the foundation for statewide implementation.—
Aisha Nyandoro,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
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No students, faculty or staff were directly involved, DU officials said.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
16 Aug. 2025
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Make the university, with its fine faculty, a destination school with quality support for students.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Sanders is known for his impressive tackling ability, compensating for his rather lackluster skills in coverage.—
Matthew Schmidt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Aug. 2025
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Every workplace has at least one person whose primary skill is not collaboration but performance.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Hines would have fit the bill–even without elite talent–but this development changes things.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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Perhaps most intriguing is the prelim card's opening bout between submission guru Chase Hooper and wrestling talent Alexander Hernandez at lightweight.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In PCMark 10 Overall Storage, which measures a drive's aptitude in performing a series of everyday storage tasks, the T710 lags the T705 and most of the other Gen 5 drives.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
6 Aug. 2025
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Bond and bassist Zac Cockrell held down the low end with workmanlike aptitude, leaving plenty of room for bluesy fills, fuzz-distortion accents and pregnant pauses to enter undetected.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ability.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ability. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
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