max capacity

Meanings

1. 1nounsingularinformal

   The largest number of people or amount of something that a space or container can hold or a machine can handle.

   Grammar: Used with at or over: the room is at max capacity.

   Patterns

   • at max capacity
   • over max capacity

   The theater was at max capacity, so we had to wait outside.

   The elevator's max capacity is eight people.

   Servers crashed when traffic reached max capacity.

2. 2nounsingularinformalfigurative

   The most work or output a person or system can produce before it fails or slows down.

   Grammar: Often used with the verb reach: reach max capacity.

   Patterns

   • reach max capacity
   • run at max capacity

   The hospital is running at max capacity this winter.

   I'm at max capacity this week, so I can't take on more work.

Common combinations

at max capacity

The parking lot is at max capacity.

reach max capacity

The stadium may reach max capacity by noon.

exceed max capacity

Do not exceed max capacity on this ferry.

max capacity of people

The max capacity of people is posted by the door.

operating at max capacity

The factory is operating at max capacity.

Synonyms and how they differ

full capacity

Full capacity is more formal and means the same, being less casual than max capacity.

limit

Limit is general and could refer to any boundary, while max capacity is about how much can be held.

maximum occupancy

Maximum occupancy refers to people in a building and appears on safety notices.

brim

Brim suggests being filled to the edge, and works with containers rather than rooms.

Opposites

Word family

capacity noun

the amount that can be held or produced

maximum noun

the largest possible amount

maximize verb

to make as large as possible

capacious adjective

able to hold a great deal

Commonly confused: max capacity or capability?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “max capacity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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