square

1 of 4

noun

1
: an instrument having at least one right angle and two straight edges used especially to lay out or test right angles
2
: a rectangle with all four sides equal
3
: any of the quadrilateral spaces marked out on a board for playing games
4
: the product of a number multiplied by itself
5
a
: an open place or area formed at the meeting of two or more streets
6
: a solid object or piece approximating a cube or having a square as its largest face
7
: an unopened cotton flower with its enclosing bracts
8
: a person who is conventional or conservative in taste or way of life
9
: a square meal
ate three squares a day

square

2 of 4

adjective

squarer; squarest
1
a
: having four equal sides and four right angles
b
: forming a right angle
square corner
c
: having a square base
a square pyramid
2
: raised to the second power
3
a
: being approximately a cube
square cabinet
b
: having a shape that is broad for the height and rectangular rather than curving in outline
square shoulders
a square, thick, hard-working manMaria Edgeworth
c
: rectangular and equilateral in section
square tower
4
a
: being or converted to a unit of area equal in measure to a square each side of which measures one unit of a specified unit of length
a square foot
see Metric System Table, Weights and Measures Table
b
: being of a specified length in each of two equal dimensions
10 feet square
5
a
: exactly adjusted : precisely constructed or aligned
b
: just, fair
a square deal
square in all his dealings
c
: leaving no balance : settled
d
: even, tied
e
: substantial, satisfying
square meal
f
: being unsophisticated, conservative, or conventional
6
: set at right angles with the mast and keel
used of the yards of a square-rigged ship
squareness noun

square

3 of 4

verb

squared; squaring

transitive verb

1
a
: to make square or rectangular
square a building stone
b
: to test for deviation from a right angle, straight line, or plane surface
2
: to bring approximately to a right angle
squared his shoulders
3
a
: to multiply (a number) by itself : raise to the second power
b
: to find a square equal in area to
square a circle
4
: to regulate or adjust by or to some standard or principle
square our actions by the opinions of othersJohn Milton
5
a
: balance, settle
square an account
b
: to even the score of
6
: to mark off into squares
7
a
: to set right : bring into agreement
squared their goals with their beliefs
b
: bribe, fix

intransitive verb

1
: to agree precisely : correspond
your actions should square with your words
2
: to settle matters
especially : to pay the bill
squarer noun

square

4 of 4

adverb

1
: in a straightforward or honest manner
2
a
: so as to face or be face-to-face
b
: at right angles
3
: with nothing intervening : directly
ran square into it
4
: in a firm manner
looked her square in the eye
5
: in a square shape
Phrases
on the square
1
: at right angles
2
: in a fair open manner : honestly
out of square
: not at an exact right angle

Examples of square in a Sentence

Noun The fabric is decorated with circles and squares. Cut the brownies into squares. The board has red and black squares. Adjective The room has four square corners. received a square hearing from the disciplinary panel Verb The machine squares the wood into flat boards. If you square 3, you get 9.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
On a screen, images of Jonas in the garb of a belly dancer or wearing a headdress or various other costumes appear on a monitor fleetingly, seemingly trapped in squares that keep rolling downward, as if demanding those watching to be conscious of the effort of perception. Susan Dominus Emiliano Granado, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Lugano Dante is a boutique hotel in a small square in the heart of this vertical city, adjacent to the funicular that brings you up to the train station. Everett Potter, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Instagram was filled with black squares, uncaptioned, seemingly the only form of protest that remained possible. Vadim Smyslov, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2024 Away from the beaches, visit the cute villages and town squares that make this Balearic Island beat, each with its unique vibe but full of local cafes, restaurants, and shops. Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2024 Colter did not have a permanent home and lived in the square, according to Rachelle Ellison, assistant director of the People for Fairness Coalition, an advocacy group for the unhoused. Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2024 When you are done visiting Lincoln's birthplace, consider stopping in Hodgenville's quaint downtown square for hamburgers and ice cream. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 17 Feb. 2024 In the woods of Augsburg, an hour's drive west of Munich, lies the remains of the set from the 2013 fantasy horror film, complete with a fake well and town square. Jordi Lippe, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2024 Some shirts are plain, with the logo in a small square at the bottom of the buttons on a golf shirt. Doug Ferguson, Quartz, 13 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The 36-units range from about 500 to 1,100 square feet, and penthouse units have large balconies that add to their living space in pleasant weather. Amy Worden, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 But big things are on the way with a major development project called Ashton Park that is projected to add thousands of homes and about 5 million square feet of retail and commercial space to the area. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 The remodeled property will hold over 25,000 square feet event space and two ballrooms that each can hold 120-150 people. Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 His legislation allowed digital billboards in those areas to be more than double the local size limit of 750 square feet, and now commissioners are arguing over whether to let PAMM and others finish building what’s currently allowed under city code. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024 He’s reportedly pledged his under-construction villa just to pay staff salaries and also vacated 400,000 square feet of office space in Bangalore. Anu Raghunathan, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 The result, the developers say, would be a mixed-income, walkable and transit-friendly neighborhood offering residents not just apartments at a wide range of prices, but also jobs, shops and amenities, including a Home Depot and 700,000 square feet of new parks and green space. Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2024 The stadium includes 75,000 square feet of video boards to keep fans up to date with what’s happening on the field, as well as over 2,300 televisions. Ben Morse, CNN, 30 Jan. 2024 The spa is nothing to snub, either, with more than 20,000 square feet of space for beauty treatments and wellness, including a hydrotherapy circuit, salon, and restoration lounge. Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2024
Verb
On another day, his first innings five-wicket haul would have squared the series. Tim Ellis, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Children’s body mass index — imperfect as the measurement is — is calculated in the same way (weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), but the threshold for obesity is not a BMI of 30 or above. Andrea Kane, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 Sister-sister, squared: Point Loma has two sets of sisters, Nanako and Ryoko Schroth and Avery and Leyton McPherson. Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024 As the nervous Moon in your finance zone squares individualistic Uranus in your expressive 5th house, your first impulse might be to go wild. Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2024 The point man spotted Clifford cutting to the right of the lane and the latter laid it in, squaring the score again at 64 apiece. Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2024 Draisaitl scored his 19th goal of the season to square the score, flipping the puck by Mrazek’s blocker at 8:05 of the first. Tim Cronin, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024 On February 9, the Aquarius New Moon squaring Uranus gives you carte blanche to disrupt your personal narrative and write a different story for yourself. Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Jan. 2024 The Brazilian striker squared the ball to Trossard, who cut inside a defender and unleashed a fierce strike into the corner from near the penalty spot. Mattias Karen, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024
Adverb
On Lap 36, Power spun Benjamin Pedersen rounding the final corner after the race had restarted, and Castroneves ran square into the A.J. Foyt Racing car. Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Sep. 2023 The Juncos Hollinger Racing driver didn’t brake soon enough and ran square into the back of Kyle Kirkwood, demolishing his rear wing. Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 5 June 2023 Behind them both and running in 17th at the time, Kyle Kirkwood ran square into the back of Harvey's No. 30 Honda and went fully airborne. Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2023 The largest contact came as AJ Foyt Racing rookie Benjamin Pedersen flew into the frame and ran square into the side of DeFrancesco and sent him airborne and spinning 180 degrees around. Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2023 The star accessorized with square-toed heels and Jacquie Aiche jewelry. Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 24 Jan. 2023 Similar to a circle but with a sharper jawline is the square-shaped face. Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2022 Indeed, Sunni Sunni’s styles, including square-toed mules with bold chain hardware and colorful heeled boots with python-print embossing, are available in a full range of men’s and women’s sizing. New York Times, 24 Mar. 2022 Trapani said Schild exited the backyard through a side gate and charged at officers while holding a metal framing square over his head. Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 3 Jan. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'square.' 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

Middle English, from Anglo-French esquarre, from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from *exquadrare to square, from Latin ex- + quadrare to square — more at quadrate

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adverb

circa 1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of square was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near square

Cite this Entry

“Square.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/square. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

square

1 of 4 noun
ˈskwa(ə)r How to pronounce square (audio)
ˈskwe(ə)r
1
: an instrument having at least one right angle and two straight edges used to draw or test right angles
2
: a rectangle with all four sides equal
3
: any of the four-sided spaces marked out on a board for playing games
4
: the product of a number multiplied by itself
4 is the square of 2
5
a
: an open place or area formed at the meeting of two or more streets

square

2 of 4 adjective
squarer; squarest
1
a
: having four equal sides and four right angles
a square piece of paper
b
: forming a right angle
a square corner
c
: having a square base
a square pyramid
2
a
: being approximately a cube
a square cabinet
b
: of a shape suggesting strength and toughness
a square jaw
square shoulders
c
: having the shape of a square as its cross section
a square tower
3
a
: being a unit of area that has the shape of a square and sides of a specified unit length
a square foot
b
: being of a specified length in each of two equal dimensions
10 feet square
4
a
: exactly adjusted : well made
b
: just entry 1 sense 2a, fair
a square deal
c
: leaving no balance : settled
d
: being tied in score
the golfers were all square after five holes
e
: large enough to satisfy
three square meals a day
5
: not knowing or following the latest styles
squareness noun

square

3 of 4 verb
squared; squaring
1
: to form with right angles, straight edges, and flat surfaces : make square or rectangular
square a timber
2
: to bring to a right angle
squared his shoulders
3
a
: to multiply (a number) by itself : to raise (a number) to the second power
b
: to find a square equal in area to
square a circle
4
: to agree or make agree
his story does not square with the facts
5
: balance entry 2 sense 1, settle
square an account
6
: to mark off into squares
7
8
: to take a fighting stance
the two squared off

square

4 of 4 adverb
: in a direct, firm, or honest manner
looked her square in the eye

Medical Definition

square

adjective
: being or converted to a unit of area equal in measure to a square each side of which measures one unit of a specified unit of length
a square foot

Legal Definition

square

adjective
: fitting the factual or legal situation at bar
we have been shown no square holding of a Florida court to that effectMilhet Caterers, Inc. v. North Western Meat, Inc., 185 So. 2d 196 (1966)
squarely adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on square

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