El Capitan

American

[el kap-i-tan] / ɛl ˌkæp ɪˈtæn /

noun

a mountain in E California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains: precipice that rises over 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) above Yosemite Valley.

El Capitan British

/ ɛl ˌkapɪˈtæn /

noun

a mountain in E central California, in the Sierra Nevada: a monolith with a precipice rising over 1100 m (3600 ft) above the floor of the Yosemite Valley. Height: 2306 m (7564 ft)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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El Capitan

This is the same Jimmy Chin who later filmed Alex Honnold as he climbed El Capitan in Yosemite without ropes or harness in “Free Solo,” which won the 2019 Oscar for Best Documentary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

“I could have taken up climbing and gone up El Capitan just to escape the people,” Dollinger said, referencing Yosemite’s famous rock wall, “but I’m just a creative director.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The researchers even created a tiny version of Yosemite's El Capitan.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 31, 2026

Joslin’s lawyers claim no punishment was given to other, similar El Capitan flag bearers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

Nixon, finally, defended himself in a masterful speech delivered live on television from the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023