流形中的边界定义与此不同，请参见流形。

在拓扑学中，拓扑空间 X 的子集 S 的边界是从 S 和从 S 的外部都可以接近的点的集合。更形式的说，它是 S 的闭包中的不属于 S 的内部的点的集合。S 的边界的元素叫做 S 的边界点。集合 S 的边界的符号包括 bd(S)、fr(S) 和 ∂S。某些作者（比如 Willard 在 General Topology 中）使用术语“边境”而不用边界来试图避免混淆于代数拓扑学中使用的边界概念。

S 的边界的连通单元叫做 S的边界单元。

In topology and mathematics in general, the boundary of a subset S of a topological space X is the set of points which can be approached both from S and from the outside of S. More precisely, it is the set of points in the closure of S, not belonging to the interior of S. An element of the boundary of S is called a boundary point of S. The term boundary operation refers to finding or taking the boundary of a set. Notations used for boundary of a set S include bd(S), fr(S), and ∂S. Some authors (for example Willard, in General Topology) use the term frontier instead of boundary in an attempt to avoid confusion with the concept of boundary used in algebraic topology and manifold theory. However, frontier sometimes refers to a different set, which is the set of boundary points which are not actually in the set; that is, S \ S.