square off
verb
squared off; squaring off; squares off
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.
: 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
Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson square off in a winner-take-all scenario.
—
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
The top two teams in the NFC West will square off Saturday night in a rare regular-season game with such high stakes as the winner will earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a first-round bye and home-field advantage before the Super Bowl.
—CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
Limitations hover over the mind as Mercury squares off with Saturn.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 30 Dec. 2025
In 1965, the two intellectual giants squared off in a debate at Cambridge.
—Bhumika Tharoor, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for square off
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Andrew Greif, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026
The top two teams in the NFC West will square off Saturday night in a rare regular-season game with such high stakes as the winner will earn the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a first-round bye and home-field advantage before the Super Bowl.
—CBS News, 2 Jan. 2026
Limitations hover over the mind as Mercury squares off with Saturn.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 30 Dec. 2025
In 1965, the two intellectual giants squared off in a debate at Cambridge.
—Bhumika Tharoor, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for square off
Cite this Entry
“Square off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/square%20off. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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