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

Throughout the film, the audience is reminded repeatedly that the furniture store where this all starts is at the corner of Capitol and McKee, in San Jose, California, in fall 1990.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

After a couple of miles spent crisscrossing the Capitol complex, I was starting to see Murkowski’s point.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026

Santos was said to have placed a bet on a contract that asked whether he would appear at the president’s annual address to Congress that month at the Capitol, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

"The best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves," Thune told reporters at the Capitol on Monday.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Making an enormous bonfire out of the mahogany chairs used by Congress, the British troops set fire to the Capitol building.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis