Definition

A five-sided polygon that geometry teachers love and students tolerate, but more importantly, the nickname for the massive five-sided building that houses the U.S. Department of Defense. When someone says "the Pentagon decided," they mean the military brass made a call, not that a geometric shape achieved sentience. It's the ultimate example of form following function, or maybe just a really committed geometry flex.

Example Usage

The Pentagon announced new cybersecurity protocols after the latest wave of infrastructure attacks.

Source: Military and geometric terminology via dictionary definition

Related Terms

Intermediate

terp

Slang for interpreter or translator, specifically local nationals hired to bridge language barriers during operations. Often risking their lives to help foreign forces in their homeland.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Intermediate

sorties

In military aviation, a single combat mission flown by one aircraft, or a sudden attack launched by troops from a defensive position. Essentially, it's when you stop sitting around and actually do something aggressive. Modern air forces track sorties obsessively because counting how many times planes take off is apparently easier than measuring whether they accomplished anything useful.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Beginner

charlie foxtrot

Phonetic alphabet euphemism for 'clusterfuck,' describing a situation that has deteriorated into complete chaos. The polite version you can say in front of officers and reporters.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Intermediate

frag order

Short for 'fragmentary order,' a quick modification to an existing operations plan that doesn't require rewriting the entire thing. Because sometimes the enemy doesn't cooperate with your carefully crafted 50-page OPORD.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Beginner

security halt

A temporary stop during movement where units establish security and assess the situation before continuing. Military time-out, but with more weapons and fewer juice boxes.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Intermediate

boresighting

The process of aligning a weapon's sights with its actual point of impact, because shooting in the general direction of the enemy is considered poor form. Think of it as calibrating your 'delete button' before using it.

🎖️ Military / Defense

Translate This Term

See “pentagon” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on XShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

ftsio

f**k this s**t I'm out...