Capitol

American  

[kap-i-tl] / ˈkæp ɪ tl /

noun

1. the building in Washington, D.C., used by the Congress of the U.S. for its sessions.

2. (often lowercase) a building occupied by a state legislature.

3. the ancient temple of Jupiter at Rome, on the Capitoline.

4. the Capitoline.

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Capitol British  

/ ˈkæpɪtəl /

noun

1. 1. another name for the Capitoline

   2. the temple on the Capitoline

2. the main building of the US Congress

3. Also called: statehouse.  (sometimes not capital) (in the US) the building housing any state legislature

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Commonly Confused

See capital ¹.

Etymology

Origin of Capitol

An Americanism first recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin capitōlium, the name of the temple of Jupiter on Capitoline hill, Rome, taken to be a derivative of caput “head”; replacing Middle English capitolie, from Old North French

Explanation

When you march on the state capitol to protest a bill before the legislature, you are assembling outside a building that houses the state government. Use the noun capitol when you're talking about the building where a legislature assembles to govern a state or region. In the United States, each state has an individual capitol building, and the federal government has one too — although when you mention "the Capitol" in Washington, D.C., it is capitalized. Speaking of which, be careful not to confuse capitol with its homophone, capital. Capitol comes from the Latin Capitolium, a famous ancient Roman temple.

Example Sentences

It runs from 25 June to 10 July across the National Mall from the US Capitol to the Washington Monument.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

The fair, running through July 10, features exhibits representing all 50 states and six US territories along the National Mall, the stretch of parkland between the US Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial.

From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026

Greenspan cast a spell over Wall Street whenever he testified on Capitol Hill.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

This month, the mystifying cases of the ill-fated Ecuadorean fishing craft drew brief attention on Capitol Hill.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026

Outside the Capitol building, crews of workers set up platforms and chairs for the inauguration ceremony the next day.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin