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  

/ 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 emergency management worker saved an alert correctly with a narrowly defined polygon in the area near the Kenneth fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2025

The Pythagoreans were fascinated by the regular solids, symmetrical three-dimensional objects all of whose sides are the same regular polygon.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

The polygons stretch across the terrain in every direction, continuing as far as the rover can see.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 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

Parched polygons of cracked dirt stretch toward a thin blue water line on the horizon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2023

There were known to be five regular or “platonic” solids, whose sides were regular polygons, as known to the ancient Greek mathematicians after the time of Pythagoras.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• shape