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

2

: 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

… using legal action to cow an opponent into silence, and withdrawal from the public square.

—Mark Steyn

Examples of public square in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Five years ago, as demonstrators streamed into public squares to protest the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, many institutions — from public school districts to the State Board of Education — promoted and committed to equity in schools. —Lily Altavena, Freep.com, 25 Sep. 2025

The Founders envisioned a Nation in which religious voices and views are integral to a vibrant public square and human flourishing and in which religious people and institutions are free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination or hostility from the Government. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025

The court's injunction allows the Pride festival to take place in the city's public square as originally requested. —Cate Charron, IndyStar, 2 Sep. 2025

Hamas isn’t a ‘static institution’ When an agreement was reached with Israel for a ceasefire and the release of some hostages in January, armed members of Hamas emerged en masse wearing their full uniform at a public square in Gaza City. —Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for public square

• aftercare
• anywhere
• billionaire
• chinaware
• debonair
• dinnerware
• disrepair
• doctrinaire
• earthenware
• everywhere
• frigidaire
• kitchenware