They lost everything and found themselves back at square one.
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Instead, the Mets are back to square one, pondering a new kind of disappointment.—Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025 That’s if Subramanian doesn’t toss the whole thing or send it back to square one, an unlikely possibility but still a possibility.—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025 Online appointments with a provider who has to start from square one might end up costing you more, both in emergency department costs if you get sent for further testing and in fees associated with the platform.—Mara Gordon, NPR, 16 Sep. 2025 The data from August shows us at 7.5% unemployment, the highest level since 2021, which isn’t just a statistic but showing that thousands of women who had stable careers, who were building something, are now back to square one.—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 7 Sep. 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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