square up

phrasal verb

squared up; squaring up; squares up
: to turn so that one is facing something or someone directly
She squared up (with/to the basket) for a three-point shot.
They squared up for a fight.

Examples of square up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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And finally… Our top GIF from the weekend just gone is of West Ham United’s Konstantinos Mavropanos and Sunderland’s Omar Alderete squaring up to each other at the London Stadium. Phil Hay, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026 Genesis, meanwhile, comes after the Supernova Strikers amateur boxing event, which saw celebs and streamers squaring up. Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026 Landon Feltham tried to square up on a bouncing ball, but could not get off a solid shot. Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 2026 Fans, however, will have to get used to seeing their favorite teammates square up against each other on the court. Pueng Vongs, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for square up

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Cite this Entry

“Square up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/square%20up. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.

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