pentagon

1 of 2

noun (1)

pen·​ta·​gon ˈpen-tə-ˌgän 

: a polygon of five angles and five sides

Pentagon

2 of 2

noun (2)

: the U.S. military leadership

Examples of pentagon in a Sentence

Noun (1)

The general attended a meeting at the Pentagon.

There was disagreement between the President and the Pentagon over the new military budget.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Regular pentagons cannot tile the plane, so fivefold symmetries are a natural place to look for tilings that can’t be periodic. —Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 4 Apr. 2023

Penrose’s tilings, for instance, have fivefold symmetries, like those found in pentagons and five-pointed stars. —Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 4 Apr. 2023

One of my favorites is an untitled work that features a plushy five-point star in shades of light brown enclosed in a red pentagon that fades to pink. —Roberta Smith, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2020

If this pentagon were any bigger, five-star generals would show up for work at it. —Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 30 Mar. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Greek pentagōnon, from neuter of pentagōnos pentagonal, from penta- + gōnia angle — more at -gon

Noun (2)

the Pentagon building, headquarters of the Department of Defense

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1570, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1945, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pentagon

• the Pentagon

Kids Definition

pentagon

noun

pen·​ta·​gon ˈpent-ə-ˌgän 

: a polygon of five angles and five sides