El Capitan

American  

[el kap-i-tan] / ɛl ˌkæp ɪˈtæn /

noun

1. 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

1. 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)

---

Example Sentences

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

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

The former Park Service employee claims free speech violations after organizing climbers for the display at El Capitan granite formation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

Honnold is renowned for being the first person to climb El Capitan, the vertical granite cliff in California's Yosemite national park - also without ropes or safety gear.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

A few years back, Honnold’s mother Dierdre Wolownick made headlines of her own when she scaled the face of El Capitan on her 70th birthday, becoming the oldest woman to achieve the feat.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

The depot itself, with its peeling sulphur-colored paint, is equally melancholy; the Chief, the Super-Chief, the El Capitan go by every day, but these celebrated expresses never pause there.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote