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

That changed at the United Center as two young Canadian stars, Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, squared off for the first time this season. —Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026

Messi and Inter Miami will continue their preseason tour next Saturday by visiting Ecuador to square off against Barcelona de Guayaquil at Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha. —Gianfranco Panizo, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026

In a video of the incident, about a half-dozen women, unarmed and dressed for the classroom, square off against at least four masked agents of the federal government, their chests puffed out under bulky tactical gear. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2026

Joshua squared off on Friday at Cleburne and the game lived up to its billing. —Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 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