pentagon

1 of 2

noun (1)

pen·​ta·​gon ˈpen-tə-ˌgän How to pronounce pentagon (audio)
: 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 See all Example Sentences for pentagon 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pentagon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of pentagon was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near pentagon

Cite this Entry

“Pentagon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pentagon. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

pentagon

noun
pen·​ta·​gon ˈpent-ə-ˌgän How to pronounce pentagon (audio)
: a polygon of five angles and five sides

More from Merriam-Webster on pentagon

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!