squarely

adverb

square·​ly ˈskwer-lē 

1

: in a straightforward or honest manner

we must squarely face the issue

2

a

: exactly, precisely

squarely in the middle

b

: so as to make solid contact

hit the ball squarely

feet squarely planted

3

: in a square form or manner : so as to be square

a squarely cut dress

4

: in a plain or unequivocal manner

The responsibility lies squarely with us.

align ourselves squarely with our allies

Synonyms of squarely

• right
• just

Examples of squarely in a Sentence

We must face these problems squarely.

It's time to deal squarely with the facts.

literature that is squarely in the American tradition

Their marketing campaign is aimed squarely at adolescents.

The dart hit the board squarely in the middle.

Look me squarely in the eye and tell me you're not lying.

He hit the ball squarely.

Her feet were squarely planted.

Recent Examples on the Web

Utah is unbeaten, with recent wins over Cincinnati, Houston, Colorado and Kansas, and a victory keeps the Utes squarely in the College Football Playoff picture. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026

Anthropic and OpenAI now package tools aimed squarely at owners, and Google is building the same features into tools millions of them already use. — Eric Groves, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2026

And the fact that TCU is in this position falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2026

Unlike many other challenges facing Los Angeles, crime and the LAPD’s efforts to combat it fall squarely within the city’s responsibilities, Trujillo said. — Teresa Liu, Daily News, 7 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1564, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for squarely

• unfairly
• barely
• fairly
• rarely

Kids Definition

squarely

adverb

square·​ly

1

: in a plain or honest manner

we must squarely face the problem

2

a

: exactly sense 1a, precisely

squarely in the middle

b

: so as to make solid contact

hit the ball squarely

3

: in a square form or manner : so as to be square

a squarely cut dress