capable
adjective
ca·pa·ble
ˈkā-pə-bəl 
in rapid speech ˈkāp-bəl
1
: susceptible
a remark capable of being misunderstood
2
obsolete
: comprehensive
3
: having attributes (such as physical or mental power) required for performance or accomplishment
is capable of intense concentration
4
: having traits conducive to or features permitting something
this woman is capable of murder by violence—
Robert Graves
Robert Graves5
: having legal right to own, enjoy, or perform
of my land … to make thee capable—Shakespeare
Shakespeare6
: having or showing general efficiency and ability
a capable lawyer
a capable performance
Examples of capable in a Sentence
a capable and efficient editor
Recent Examples on the Web
Last month, Florida officials submitted a 37-page immigration enforcement plan to the federal government that called for detention centers in the south-central and northeastern regions of the state capable of holding 10,000 people.
—Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
Employers want to hire people who are capable, reliable, and confident—people who can hit the ground running without needing to be rescued.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
The United Kingdom will buy 12 U.S.-made F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear bombs and will join NATO’s shared airborne nuclear mission, in a major expansion of its nuclear deterrent, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 25 June 2025
Though no polling stations have reported a loss of power yet, Vincent Ignazio, deputy executive director of the Elections Board, told City & State Monday that ballot scanners were equipped with backup batteries capable of lasting several hours should an outage occur.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for capable
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Skyler Swisher, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2025
Employers want to hire people who are capable, reliable, and confident—people who can hit the ground running without needing to be rescued.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
The United Kingdom will buy 12 U.S.-made F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear bombs and will join NATO’s shared airborne nuclear mission, in a major expansion of its nuclear deterrent, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Wednesday.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 25 June 2025
Though no polling stations have reported a loss of power yet, Vincent Ignazio, deputy executive director of the Elections Board, told City & State Monday that ballot scanners were equipped with backup batteries capable of lasting several hours should an outage occur.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for capable
Cite this Entry
“Capable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capable. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
capable
adjective
ca·pa·ble
ˈkā-pə-bəl
1
: having the qualities (as physical or mental power) to do or accomplish something
you are capable of better work
2
: having qualities or features permitting
a new train capable of very high speeds
3
: able to do one's job well : generally efficient
tries to hire capable people
capability
noun
ˌkā-pə-ˈbil-ət-ē
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