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Capulet

American  
[kap-yuh-let, -lit] / ˈkæp jəˌlɛt, -lɪt /

noun

  1. (in Shakespeare'sRomeo and Juliet ) the family name of Juliet.


Usage

What does Capulet mean? Capulet is the family name of the character Juliet from William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. Juliet is the daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet. The house of Capulet is in a bitter feud with the house of Montague for reasons never revealed in the play. Other characters on the side of the Capulets include Lady Capulet’s nephew Tybalt, Juliet’s unnamed nurse, and the servants Sampson and Gregory. In the play, Romeo falls in love with Juliet Capulet at first sight. Because of the feud, they meet in secret and eventually secretly get married. Later, Romeo is exiled from the city after killing Juliet’s cousin Tybalt out of revenge for Tybalt’s accidental killing of Mercutio. Hearing of Romeo’s exile, Juliet devises a plan in which she fakes her own death so that she can meet Romeo in the Capulet family tomb. However, Romeo believes Juliet to actually be dead and kills himself with poison to join her in the afterlife. Upon discovering that Romeo is dead, Juliet stabs herself to death. The deaths of their children cause Lord Montague and Lord Capulet to end their feud.

Compare meaning

How does capulet compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Glenn Fleshler makes a strong impression as a stern Lord Capulet.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 12, 2026

Wilson said she was interested in playing Juliet's mother, Lady Capulet, as it was a chance to play against type.

From BBC Jun. 8, 2025

It’s easy to accept Sola Fadiran as both Capulet and Lady Capulet, as the two figures blend into Juliet’s composite parent.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 12, 2024

Jamie Ballard brings to Lord Capulet a roiling fury that seems to catch even his own wife off guard.

From New York Times Jun. 16, 2023

“I once played Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. It was an all-boys school.”

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick

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