topology

noun

to·​pol·​o·​gy tə-ˈpä-lə-jē 

tä-

plural topologies

1

: topographic study of a particular place

specifically : the history of a region as indicated by its topography

2

a(1)

: a branch of mathematics concerned with those properties of geometric configurations (such as point sets) which are unaltered by elastic deformations (such as a stretching or a twisting) that are homeomorphisms

(2)

: the set of all open subsets of a topological space

b

: configuration

topology of a molecule

topology of a magnetic field

topologist

tə-ˈpä-lə-jist 

tä-

noun

Examples of topology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are many theorems or facts in topology that for some reason hold in other dimensions, but not in dimension four. — Quanta Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026

Until recently, architectural choices like bandwidth allocation or interconnect topology (how connections are arranged on a chip or in a system) were generally not addressed until physical integration began. — Nandan Nayampally, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026

In topology, mathematicians try to reduce objects to their essential properties. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026

Topological devices leverage mathematical properties of topology to protect quantum information and ensure that data remains coherent for longer and resilient to external noise. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing topology

• point set topology

Rhymes for topology

• anthology
• apology
• astrology
• biology
• christology
• chronology
• conchology
• cosmology
• cryptology
• cytology
• doxology
• ecology

Kids Definition

topology

noun

to·​pol·​o·​gy tə-ˈpäl-ə-jē 

: a branch of mathematics concerned with the properties of geometric figures that do not change when the figure is twisted or stretched in certain ways

topological

ˌtäp-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl, 

ˌtōp-

adjective

topologist

tə-ˈpäl-ə-jist 

noun

Medical Definition

topology

noun

to·​pol·​o·​gy tə-ˈpäl-ə-jē, tä- 

plural topologies

1

: regional anatomy

2

: configuration sense 1

the topology of a molecule

topological

ˌtäp-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective

also topologic

-ik