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

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

For years, investigators looked for suspects who worked in Manhattan and had lived in the polygon.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 20, 2023

The gray paint peels off the wall in odd and beautiful patterns, each cracked polygon of paint a snowflake of decay.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

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

For one thing, I was certain its body of knowledge concerning plane curves, angles, and polygons would help me design my rockets.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• shape