topology
Americannoun
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topologies
plural
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the study of those properties of geometric forms that remain invariant under certain transformations, as bending or stretching.
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Also called point set topology. the study of limits in sets considered as collections of points.
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a collection of open sets making a given set a topological space.
noun
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the branch of mathematics concerned with generalization of the concepts of continuity, limit, etc
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Former name: analysis situs. a branch of geometry describing the properties of a figure that are unaffected by continuous distortion, such as stretching or knotting
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maths a family of subsets of a given set S, such that S is a topological space
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the arrangement and interlinking of computers in a computer network
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the study of the topography of a given place, esp as far as it reflects its history
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the anatomy of any specific bodily area, structure, or part
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of topology
Explanation
Topology is a kind of math — it's the study of shapes that can be stretched and moved while points on the shape continue to stay close to each other In the branch of geometry known as topology, two objects are equivalent if you can make them resemble each other by stretching, bending, or twisting them. This makes sense if you imagine two rubber bands: you can manipulate them into squares or ovals, and they are still the same. In computer science, topology refers to the way elements of a network are arranged. And in the 1650s, topology was the study of "the location where plants are found."
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:
"This gives us a completely new tuning knob for light. By adjusting its topology, we can decide how and where chirality appears," said Dr. Nape.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Evolutionary genome topology focuses on the arrangement and structure of genomes rather than relying only on DNA sequences.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
"All the quantum perturbations that should blow up the value of the cosmological constant are rendered inert by this topology, which keeps the constant's value stable."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
Just as topology locks the Hall voltage into specific values, the topology of space-time could lock the cosmological constant into stable values, protecting it from the quantum fluctuations that would otherwise drive it much higher.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
Claytor’s dissertation topic, regarding point-set topology, delighted the Penn faculty and was acclaimed by the mathematical world as a significant advance in the field.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Quantitative AI models are needed to design these new materials and topologies for chips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026
In Castañeda's lab, the team engineered and designed different types of polyubiquitin chains with variable lengths and topologies.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2023
Because they force chromosomes to assume unnatural topologies during meiosis, inversions and translocations are often associated with reduced fertility because of the likelihood of nondisjunction.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
That allowed mathematicians to study what kinds of topologies could be stitched together.
From New York Times ● Mar. 23, 2022
A worthy companion to INTERCAL; a computer language family which escapes the quotidian limitation of linear control flow and embraces program counters flying through multiple dimensions with exotic topologies.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Guy L. Steele
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