volumes
volumes — noun
- volumessingular
- volumesesplural
1. Different amounts of three-dimensional space that objects, substances, or contai
Different amounts of three-dimensional space that objects, substances, or containers take up or can hold.
The two bottles hold equal volumes of water despite their different shapes.
equal volumes of liquid
The students compared the volumes of gas collected in each jar.
These wooden blocks have different volumes even though they weigh the same.
The recipe needs exact volumes of oil and vinegar for the dressing.
- capacity
usually stresses how much a container can hold, not any solid object's size
- cubic measure
more technical and mainly used in maths or measurement contexts
用法筆記
Used for measurable three-dimensional space. In everyday talk, capacity is common for containers, while volume is common in science, maths, and technical comparison.
2. Amounts of something when attention is on the overall quantity, especially in bu
Amounts of something when attention is on the overall quantity, especially in business, travel, or information.
Online orders reached huge volumes during the holiday sale last weekend.
high volumes = large amount
The clinic handles large volumes of calls every Monday morning.
The museum stores vast volumes of data about every object it owns.
Passenger volumes dropped sharply after the station closed for repairs.
用法筆記
Often appears in reports about sales, travel, data, or phone traffic, where the noun before or after of names the activity being counted.
3. The sound levels of devices or recordings, or the settings used to make them lou
The sound levels of devices or recordings, or the settings used to make them louder or quieter.
Please keep the speaker volumes low while the baby is sleeping.
keep volumes low
The technician tested the alarm at three different volumes.
Students adjusted their laptop volumes before the language lesson began.
The theatre checked all microphone volumes before the actors walked onstage.
- loudness
describes the quality of the sound more than the control itself
用法筆記
Usually plural when comparing several devices, channels, or test settings. For one device or one control, singular volume is more common.
4. Individual books that belong to the same series, encyclopedia, or other planned
Individual books that belong to the same series, encyclopedia, or other planned set.
The library moved the history volumes to a shelf near the reading room.
volumes in a set
Only the last two volumes of the encyclopedia were missing.
Mina bought three volumes of the comic series at the station shop.
The professor cited volumes four and five in her lecture notes.
- part
more general and does not specifically suggest a book
- installment
can refer to one part of a series, but is not limited to books
用法筆記
Usually used for numbered or matching books in one set. Distinguish from sense 5, which can refer to books more generally.
5. Books as physical printed works, especially when the word sounds formal or liter
Books as physical printed works, especially when the word sounds formal or literary.
Dusty volumes lined the study walls from floor to ceiling.
formal plural for books
The judge carried several legal volumes back to the office.
Used volumes filled every table at the church book sale.
Yael donated twenty art volumes to the village school library.
用法筆記
More formal than books and common in libraries, criticism, and historical writing. Distinguish from sense 4 when the books are not presented as one set.