facility
Other forms: facilities
Facility is a noun with several different meanings. Often, as in "storage facility," it's a place designed for a specific use, but it can also mean an effortlessness or ease with something.
The new stadium is a great facility for showing off Olympic winter sports. At this level, all of the ice skaters show a facility that borders on magical. Likewise, the prison is a great facility for storing prisoners. Those prisoners showed a real facility for crime. Related to the French facile, which means "easy," a person who shows a facility for something makes it seem easy. This is cool, especially if that thing is difficult — or, as the French might say, difficile.
Definitions of facility
-
a building or place that provides a particular service or is used for a particular industry“the assembly plant is an enormous facility”
-
synonyms:
installation
-
types:
- show 75 types...
- hide 75 types...
-
airfield, field, flying field, landing field
a place where planes take off and land
-
arboretum, botanical garden
a facility where trees and shrubs are cultivated for exhibition
-
athletic facility
a facility for athletic events
-
backroom
the meeting place of a group of leaders who make their decisions via private negotiations
-
cafeteria facility
(usually plural) facilities for providing food for employees or visitors
-
communication equipment, communication system
facility consisting of the physical plants and equipment for disseminating information
-
course
facility consisting of a circumscribed area of land or water laid out for a sport
-
deposit, depositary, depository, repository
a facility where things can be deposited for storage or safekeeping
-
drive-in
any installation designed to accommodate patrons in their automobiles
-
assembly, forum, meeting place
a public facility to meet for open discussion
-
gas system
facility (plant and equipment) for providing natural-gas service
-
menagerie, zoo, zoological garden
the facility where wild animals are housed for exhibition
-
military installation
any facility servicing military forces
-
grid, power grid, power system
a system of high tension cables by which electrical power is distributed throughout a region
-
range
a place for shooting (firing or driving) projectiles of various kinds
-
recreation facility, recreational facility
a public facility for recreation
-
sewage system, sewage works, sewer system
facility consisting of a system of sewers for carrying off liquid and solid sewage
-
source
a facility where something is available
-
station
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
-
transit, transportation, transportation system
a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods
-
utility
a facility composed of one or more pieces of equipment connected to or part of a structure and designed to provide a service such as heat or electricity or water or sewage disposal
-
water, water supply, water system
a facility that provides a source of water
-
aquarium
a place where aquatic animals and plants are kept and publicly exhibited
-
aerodrome, airdrome, airport, drome
an airfield equipped with control tower and hangars as well as accommodations for passengers and cargo
-
airstrip, flight strip, landing strip, strip
an airfield without normal airport facilities
-
air transportation system
a transportation system for moving passengers or goods by air
-
archive
a depository containing historical records and documents
-
armory, armoury, arsenal
a military structure where arms and ammunition and other military equipment are stored and training is given in the use of arms
-
auxiliary airfield
an airfield that functions in a subsidiary capacity
-
bank, bank building
a building in which the business of banking transacted
-
base, base of operations
installation from which a military force initiates operations
-
broadcast station, broadcasting station
a station equipped to broadcast radio or television programs
-
drop
a central depository where things can be left or picked up
-
electrical plant, electrical system
utility that provides electricity
-
emplacement
military installation consisting of a prepared position for siting a weapon
-
FOTS, fiber-optic transmission system, fibre-optic transmission system
a communication system using fiber optic cables
-
field house
an athletic facility where athletes prepare for sport
-
fire station, firehouse
a station housing fire apparatus and firemen
-
first-aid station
a station providing emergency care or treatment before regular medical aid can be obtained
-
football stadium
a stadium where football games are held
-
Golconda
a source of great wealth (especially a mine)
-
gold mine, goldmine
a good source of something that is desired
-
golf course, links course
course consisting of a large landscaped area for playing golf
-
gym, gymnasium
athletic facility equipped for sports or physical training
-
HQ, headquarters, military headquarters
the military installation from which a commander performs the functions of command
-
heat, heating, heating plant, heating system
utility to warm a building
-
highway system
a transportation system consisting of roads for motor transport
-
depository library, library
a depository built to contain books and other materials for reading and study
-
lido
a recreational facility including a swimming pool for water sports
-
lost-and-found
repository in a public building where lost articles can be kept until their owners reclaim them
-
Marineland
a commercial aquarium featuring trained dolphins
-
military post, post
military installation at which a body of troops is stationed
-
museum
a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value
-
naval installation, shore station
military installation servicing naval forces
-
network
(broadcasting) a communication system consisting of a group of broadcasting stations that all transmit the same programs
-
observation station
a station set up for making observations of something
-
plumbing, plumbing system
utility consisting of the pipes and fixtures for the distribution of water or gas in a building and for the disposal of sewage
-
police headquarters, police station, precinct, station house
a station that serves as headquarters for police in a particular district; serves as a place from which policemen are dispatched and to which arrested persons are brought
-
power plant, power station, powerhouse
an electrical generating station
-
practice range
a place for practicing golf shots
-
public transit
a public transportation system for moving passengers
-
racecourse, racetrack, raceway, track
a course over which races are run
-
repertory
a storehouse where a stock of things is kept
-
rifle range
a range where people can practice shooting rifles
-
service station
a station where gasoline and oil are sold and facilities are available for repairing or maintaining automobiles
-
short line
a transportation system that operates over relatively short distances
-
silo
military installation consisting of an underground structure where ballistic missiles can be stored and fired
-
sperm bank
a depository for storing sperm
-
depot, entrepot, storage, store, storehouse
a depository for goods
-
substation
a subsidiary station where electricity is transformed for distribution by a low-voltage network
-
natatorium, swimming bath, swimming pool
pool that provides a facility for swimming
-
telferage, telpherage
a transportation system in which cars (telphers) are suspended from cables and operated on electricity
-
depot, terminal, terminus
station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods
-
test range
a range for conducting tests
-
treasury
a depository (a room or building) where wealth and precious objects can be kept safely
-
something designed and created to serve a particular function and to afford a particular convenience or service“catering facilities”“toilet facilities”“educational facilities”
-
types:
- show 4 types...
- hide 4 types...
-
comfort station, convenience, public convenience, public lavatory, public toilet, restroom, toilet facility, wash room
a toilet that is available to the public
-
ladies' room, powder room
a woman's restroom in a public (or semipublic) building
-
latrine
a public toilet in a military area
-
men's, men's room
a public toilet for men
-
a service that an organization or a piece of equipment offers you“a cell phone with internet facility”
-
type of:
-
service
work done by one person or group that benefits another
-
service
-
a natural effortlessness“they conversed with great facility”
-
synonyms:
readiness
-
type of:
-
effortlessness
the quality of requiring little effort
-
effortlessness
-
skillful performance or ability without difficulty“he was famous for his facility as an archer”
-
synonyms:
adeptness, adroitness, deftness, quickness
-
types:
-
touch
deftness in handling matters
-
dexterity, manual dexterity, sleight
adroitness in using the hands
-
capstone, copestone, finishing touch
a final touch; a crowning achievement; a culmination
-
type of:
-
skillfulness
the state of being cognitively skillful
-
touch
Pronunciation
US
/fəˈsɪlədi/
UK
/fəˈsɪlɪti/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘facility'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
Vocabulary lists containing facility
Winterhouse
In this first book of the Winterhouse trilogy, eleven-year-old orphan Elizabeth Somers is sent by her aunt and uncle to a hotel in the snowy mountains, where she discovers magical mysteries and adventures with the other guests and owner.
Are You Ready to Hatch an Unusual Chicken?
In this sequel to Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer, the new owner of Redwood Farm, twelve-year-old Sophia Mariposa Brown, awards certificates to her special flock, but she still must pass an official inspection.
Wild River
Middle schooler Daniel and his campmates battle for survival on the Crazy River in Montana.
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up facility for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
