polygon

American  

[pol-ee-gon] / ˈpɒl iˌgɒn /

noun

• polygons
  plural

1. a figure, especially a closed plane figure, having three or more, usually straight, sides.

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polygon British  

/ pəˈlɪɡənəl, ˈpɒlɪˌɡɒn /

noun

1. a closed plane figure bounded by three or more straight sides that meet in pairs in the same number of vertices, and do not intersect other than at these vertices. The sum of the interior angles is ( n –2) × 180° for n sides; the sum of the exterior angles is 360°. A regular polygon has all its sides and angles equal. Specific polygons are named according to the number of sides, such as triangle, pentagon, etc

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polygon Scientific  

/ pŏl′ē-gŏn′ /

1. A closed plane figure having three or more sides. Triangles, rectangles, and octagons are all examples of polygons.

2. ◆ A regular polygon is a polygon all of whose sides are the same length and all of whose interior angles are the same measure.

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polygon Cultural  

1. In geometry, a closed figure having three or more sides and lying on one plane.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• polygonal
  adjective
• subpolygonal
  adjective
• polygonally
  adverb
• subpolygonally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• polygons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of polygon

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin polygōnum, from Greek polýgōnon, noun use of neuter of polýgōnos “many-angled”; see poly-, -gon

Explanation

A polygon is a closed shape with straight sides. Rectangles, triangles, hexagons, and octagons are all examples of polygons. The word polygon comes from the Greeks, like most terms in geometry, which they invented. It simply means many (poly) angles (gon). A polygon can’t have any curves or any gaps or openings in its shape. If you want to describe something as angular and closed, like, say, the Pentagon, or a stop sign, you could call it "polygonal."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

polygon polygons

The enormous polygon field is the latest in a long series of unexpected discoveries made by Curiosity since it landed on Mars 14 years ago, on Aug. 5, 2012.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

We wander back wet, down to Castillo Square, down to the ghosts of Bar Milano, a stand-in for Bar Torino, and Café Suizo, where the fiesta unravels in insults, a love polygon and fisticuffs.

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025

A love triangle stretches to encompass more people and form a shifting polygon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

County officials correctly used the Genasys software to draw a polygon that would alert only residents near the fire, which sparked in West Hills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2025

But it’s complete enough for his daughter to use if she must: the irregular polygon of the island framed by ramparts, each of its eight hundred and sixty-five buildings in place.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Researchers are now studying how ice wedge polygons, a common Arctic landscape feature, influence how water and carbon move toward coastal areas.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 4, 2026

Vast polygons mark forest concessions covering 11 million hectares in the DRC, some of which exist only on paper.

From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026

The interface showed purple cow icons confined within red polygons — virtual fences that shock the cattle via collars should they stray.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025

“We want them to come back and be the classic beautiful white salt flats that they should be,” Andler said of her appreciation for the salt polygons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024

There are an infinite number of regular polygons, but only five regular solids.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• shape