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

In the company cafeteria, Hara watched as his coworkers squared off over a game of Go, a board game played with black and white stones on a grid. — HubSpot, 1 Oct. 2026

The New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning square off in Eastern Conference action. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals are squaring off today in an AFC North matchup during Week 3 of the NFL schedule. — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026

Tonight, the two teams square off, both looking to move to 3-1. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 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