public square
noun
1
: an open public area in a city or town where people gather
St. Mark's Square in Venice is sinking at a time when this Italian city's popularity is rising. The world's most famous public square now floods an average of three out of every five days.—
Tom Crosby
Tom Crosby2
: the sphere of public opinion
In an August 2007 speech, then-New York governor Eliot Spitzer expounded upon Reinhold Niebuhr and the virtues of humility in the public square.—Lisa Miller
Lisa Miller… using legal action to cow an opponent into silence, and withdrawal from the public square.—Mark Steyn
Mark SteynExamples of public square in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Back then, its location, not far from the Champ-de-Mars public square across from the National Palace and National Pantheon Museum, was seen as a plus.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2025
The Woodcock Foundation is a funder of Headway’s public square.
—Ian Willms, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
In Tel Aviv, people gathered, some weeping, in a public square, opposite Israel's Defense Forces headquarters, at what has come to be known as Hostages Square.
—Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
The argument that these social media companies are merely digital bulletin boards in a virtual public square falls on deaf ears when their bottom lines directly benefit from algorithms that promote provocative content.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for public square
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Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2025
The Woodcock Foundation is a funder of Headway’s public square.
—Ian Willms, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
In Tel Aviv, people gathered, some weeping, in a public square, opposite Israel's Defense Forces headquarters, at what has come to be known as Hostages Square.
—Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
The argument that these social media companies are merely digital bulletin boards in a virtual public square falls on deaf ears when their bottom lines directly benefit from algorithms that promote provocative content.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for public square
Cite this Entry
“Public square.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20square. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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