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

But the road to the Elle Woods who graduates at the top of her law school class, storms Capitol Hill and inspires a Broadway musical has to start somewhere.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2026

Videos posted to social media and the group's own Telegram channel showed the masked, uniformed members marching near the Capitol building and Union Station, the city's main passenger rail hub.

From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026

When I visited the Capitol in April, I saw aides navigating McConnell around in a wheelchair.

From Slate • Jul. 2, 2026

A headline in the Louisville Courier-Journal crystalized the state of affairs on Capitol Hill: “As Tom Kean returns, Mitch McConnell‘s absence now DC’s biggest mystery.”

From Salon • Jul. 2, 2026

At the end of 1952, they bought a run-down house on Capitol Hill, chiefly because it was a short walk to the Library of Congress and the Folger Shakespeare Library.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield