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.

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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)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

El Capitan

“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

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

The so-called firefall phenomenon takes place each February at Horsetail Fall, which flows over an eastern ridge of El Capitan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 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