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

This is a measure from topology, an abstract mathematical subfield focused on the fundamental properties of objects. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 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

That progression relies on telemetry enriched with topology, service relationships and operational intent. — Kannan Kothandaraman, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Correlated Coloring Wujie Shen had spent his first few semesters at Tsinghua University focused mainly on geometry and topology. — Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 26 June 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