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

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

In May 2025, Shannon “SJ” Joslin was among a group of climbers who ascended the El Capitan granite formation and hung a 55-foot-by-35-foot flag.

From The Wall Street Journal

They found El Capitan a fitting place to make the point that “trans is natural.”

From The Wall Street Journal

El Capitan, with its 3,000-foot-tall rock face, isn’t one of the areas.

From The Wall Street Journal

Still, carrying and displaying a flag on El Capitan has long been part of the culture for Yosemite rock-climbers.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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