square off

verb

squared off; squaring off; squares off

intransitive verb

1

: to take a fighting stance : prepare to fight

also : to fight or argue

squared off in a debate

2

: to compete in a contest

The two teams squared off for the championship.

transitive verb

: to make square : to give (something) straight edges, flat surfaces, or sharp, even corners

Examples of square off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Redirect the tension of the Libra moon squaring off with Mercury into something creative. —Usa Today, USA Today, 23 June 2026

Jey Uso will take on Oba Femi in the King of the Ring final and Liv Morgan will square off against Iyo Sky in the Queen of the Ring final. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026

The Atlanta Braves square off against the Milwaukee Brewers a game after Ozzie Albies homered twice in a 4-3 victory over the Brewers. —Data Skrive, New York Times, 21 June 2026

North Carolina will be looking for its first national title in baseball and Oklahoma for its third when the schools square off in Game 1 of the best-of-three series Saturday night at Charles Schwab Field. —Eric Olson, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for square off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff