squire

1 of 2

noun

ˈskwī(-ə)r 

1

: a shield bearer or armor bearer of a knight

2

a

: a male attendant especially on a great personage

b

: a man who devotedly attends a lady : gallant

3

a

: a member of the British gentry ranking below a knight and above a gentleman

b

: an owner of a country estate

especially : the principal landowner in a village or district

c(1)

: justice of the peace

(2)

: lawyer

(3)

: judge

squirish

ˈskwīr-ish 

adjective

squire

2 of 2

verb

squired; squiring

transitive verb

: to attend as a squire : escort

Synonyms

Verb

• accompany
• attend
• chaperone
• chaperon
• companion
• company
• convoy
• escort
• see

Examples of squire in a Sentence

Verb

her father squired her to the dance to make sure she got there all right

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

However, that plan was thwarted by Armand de Caulaincourt, Napoleon’s grand squire, who dumped the gunpowder out of the guns. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 July 2024

The French emperor later gave the two pistols to his squire General Armand de Caulaincourt, whose descendants consigned them to the auction house. —Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2024

Verb

According to the auctioneer, they were given to Napoleon’s friend and squire Armand de Caulaincourt just after the emperor attempted suicide in April 1814. —Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 8 July 2024

Katzenberg, who spent the weekend squiring the president to the Hamptons, apparently offered neither. —Maer Roshan, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English squier, from Anglo-French esquier — more at esquire

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

squire

1 of 2 noun

ˈskwī(ə)r 

1

: one who carries the shield or armor of a knight

2

a

: a male servant

b

: a lady's escort

3

a

: an owner of a country estate

b

: justice of the peace

squire

2 of 2 verb

squired; squiring

: to attend as a squire or escort