volume
- 01 B1 Intermediate
the amount of space that an object or substance fills.
the amount of three-dimensional space occupied by an object or substance.
Simple“The scientist measured the volume of water in the glass beaker.”
In context“As the temperature of the gas increases, its volume expands unless the pressure is adjusted to compensate.”
UsageUncountable when referring to the general concept of space; countable when referring to specific measurements.
Synonyms - 02 A2 Elementary
how loud or quiet a sound is.
the degree of loudness or the intensity of a sound.
Simple“Could you please turn down the volume on the television?”
In context“The speaker adjusted the volume to ensure that his voice reached the back of the auditorium without distorting the audio quality.”
UsageUsually uncountable; often used with 'turn up' or 'turn down'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
one book, especially one that is part of a larger set of books.
a single book, or one of a series of books that form a complete work.
Simple“I found the second volume of the encyclopedia on the top shelf.”
In context“The library houses a rare first volume of the historical series, bound in original leather and remarkably well-preserved.”
UsageCountable; frequently used in academic or archival contexts.
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
a large amount or total number of something.
the total amount or quantity of something, often in a commercial or industrial context.
Simple“The shop handles a high volume of customers during the holiday season.”
In context“The sudden increase in trading volume on the stock market suggested that investors were reacting to the new economic data.”
UsageUsually singular; often follows 'high', 'low', or 'large'.
- 05 C1 Advanced
a specific area on a computer disk used for storing files.
an identifiable area of data storage with a single file system.
Simple“The computer warned me that the backup volume was almost full.”
In context“The system administrator partitioned the hard drive into three separate volumes to better manage the server's data distribution.”
UsageCountable; refers to logical rather than physical storage units.
- 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
to show a lot about a person's feelings or a situation without using words.
to convey a great deal of information or meaning through non-verbal cues.
Simple“The look on her face spoke volumes about how disappointed she was.”
In context“While the CEO remained silent during the press conference, his tense body language spoke volumes to the gathered reporters.”
UsageAlmost exclusively used in the plural idiom 'speak volumes'.
Usage volume of messages · reduce volume · volume outweigh
“Mysteries from the first three volumes include: who killed the musicians in the forest?”
“The enormous volume of water locked in ice caused sea levels to drop 120 meters (394 feet) below current levels.”
From Middle English volume, from Old French volume, from Latin volūmen (“book, roll”), from volvō (“roll, turn about”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.