They lost everything and found themselves back at square one.
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Because the construction documents were included with the purchase of the land and building permits had in fact already been granted by the city based on that initial scheme, the new owners were understandably reluctant to start over again from square one.—Kyle Hoepner, Architectural Digest, 29 Aug. 2025 Anything can be a trend or become a norm, even what feels like square one.—Lex Goldstein, Allure, 15 Aug. 2025 But then, in August 2024, prosecutors came into court, rejected their own deal, and essentially restarted the case from square one, court records show.—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025 Barcelona are moving on to other targets — or, in a way, moving back to square one.—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for square one
Word History
Etymology
from the use of numbered squares in some board games
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