square

noun

\ ˈskwer

Definition of square

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : an instrument having at least one right angle and two straight edges used especially to lay out or test right angles

2 : a rectangle with all four sides equal

3 : any of the quadrilateral spaces marked out on a board for playing games

4 : the product of a number multiplied by itself

5a : an open place or area formed at the meeting of two or more streets

b : block sense 6a

6 : a solid object or piece approximating a cube or having a square as its largest face

7 : an unopened cotton flower with its enclosing bracts

8 : a person who is conventional or conservative in taste or way of life

9 : a square meal ate three squares a day

on the square

1 : at right angles

2 : in a fair open manner : honestly

out of square

: not at an exact right angle

square

adjective

squarer; squarest

Definition of square (Entry 2 of 4)

1a : having four equal sides and four right angles

b : forming a right angle square corner

c : having a square base a square pyramid

2 : raised to the second power

3a : being approximately a cube square cabinet

b : having a shape that is broad for the height and rectangular rather than curving in outline square shoulders a square, thick, hard-working man— Maria Edgeworth

c : rectangular and equilateral in section square tower

4a : being or converted to a unit of area equal in measure to a square each side of which measures one unit of a specified unit of length a square foot — see Metric System Table, Weights and Measures Table

b : being of a specified length in each of two equal dimensions 10 feet square

5a : exactly adjusted : precisely constructed or aligned

b : just, fair a square deal square in all his dealings

c : leaving no balance : settled

d : even, tied

e : substantial, satisfying square meal

f : being unsophisticated, conservative, or conventional

6 : set at right angles with the mast and keel —used of the yards of a square-rigged ship

square

verb

squared; squaring

Definition of square (Entry 3 of 4)

transitive verb

1a : to make square or rectangular square a building stone

b : to test for deviation from a right angle, straight line, or plane surface

2 : to bring approximately to a right angle squared his shoulders

3a : to multiply (a number) by itself : raise to the second power

b : to find a square equal in area to square a circle

4 : to regulate or adjust by or to some standard or principle square our actions by the opinions of others— John Milton

5a : balance, settle square an account

b : to even the score of

6 : to mark off into squares

7a : to set right : bring into agreement squared their goals with their beliefs

b : bribe, fix

intransitive verb

1 : to agree precisely : correspond your actions should square with your words

2 : to settle matters especially : to pay the bill

square

adverb

Definition of square (Entry 4 of 4)

1 : in a straightforward or honest manner

2a : so as to face or be face-to-face

b : at right angles

3 : with nothing intervening : directly ran square into it

4 : in a firm manner looked her square in the eye

5 : in a square shape

Other Words from square Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About square

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Synonyms & Antonyms for square

Synonyms: Adjective

Synonyms: Verb

Antonyms: Verb

Examples of square in a Sentence

Noun The fabric is decorated with circles and squares. Cut the brownies into squares. The board has red and black squares. Adjective The room has four square corners. received a square hearing from the disciplinary panel Verb The machine squares the wood into flat boards. If you square 3, you get 9.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun And, also, not putting too much stock into criticism of your work, not being too eager to have people pillory you in the public square for your work. — EW.com, 11 Oct. 2021 Those questions have been hotly debated in the public square over the past few weeks. — Helen Branswell, STAT, 20 Sep. 2021 Exploitative systems were confronted in the public square — and in many cases, labor seems to have won. — Helen Shaw, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2021 His statement referred to the killing of former Afghan President Mohammad Najibullah, who was executed and strung up in a public square after the Taliban seized the capital in 1996. — Compiled Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2021 In both cases, Moore’s work eventually made it into the public square. — Brent Lang, Variety, 19 Aug. 2021 Moving beyond the white feminist gaze and its requirements of performance — from silencing in the workplace to displaying a particular kind of sexuality in the public square — is paramount for all women. — Kovie Biakolo, Essence, 17 Aug. 2021 The freedom to speak openly in the public square about such subjects is a keystone foundational freedom of our democracy. — Kristine Phillips, USA TODAY, 25 June 2021 Cruz, 40, and her daughter were among the ranks of hundreds of migrants, almost all Central Americans — mostly women and children — squatting in a public square a block from the Rio Grande here. — Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Last week, volunteers served ham, green beans, cheesy potatoes, salad and rolls donated by Texas Roadhouse at a free community dinner where residents could come down to the town square to be counted, Sappington told council members Monday night. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2021 Freeze water in a silicone cup, whose mold holds a large square ice cube. — Marc Bona, cleveland, 14 Oct. 2021 The new map is rectangular rather than square, and its waters are blue, not beige. — Katie Deighton, WSJ, 13 Oct. 2021 The line includes frozen foods such as pot stickers, egg rolls and gluten-free, Detroit-style square pan pizza. — Louis Biscotti, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2021 The best-of-five set shifts to Dodger Stadium for Game 3 on Monday night all square, hardly a surprise considering how close these clubs played for months. — BostonGlobe.com, 11 Oct. 2021 At times, the noise inside the convention center was deafening, the din of a village square reverberating throughout. — James Ross Gardner, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2021 Heat the oven to 315F and prepare an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. — Kate Krader, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2021 Videos posted to social media showed the crowd partying at the campus square with a rapper, DJ booth and cash raining down from the air before shots were fired. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, 8 Oct. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The day after the new moon, Pluto will square the luminary, bringing along conflict, power struggles, and arguments, according to Stardust. — Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, 5 Oct. 2021 So just how did Walsh’s team square its record at 2-2? — Michael Lerseth, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Sep. 2021 Google is trying to square this circle with its Privacy Sandbox, to find a way to serve advertisers while preserving user privacy. — Zak Doffman, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2021 But the commander-in-chief's descriptions of order did not square with the images flashing on Americans' television screens and accounts from witnesses on the ground. — Maeve Reston, CNN, 21 Aug. 2021 But the movie doesn’t know how to square the idea of Tammy Faye as savvy and self-aware with Tammy Faye as a ditzy innocent, and Chastain plays both without bringing them together into a coherent sense of character. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2021 Although a high-status person can be abused, Holmes’ literal outranking of Balwani at Theranos is tough to square with coercive control behaviors. — Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2021 Because many traders tend to square up positions and tiptoe out early to enjoy a long weekend, the numbers might need to be either a big hit or a big miss in order to have a major market impact. — Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 30 Aug. 2021 The Sox went on to square the AL Championship Series with a 6-5 win and ultimately won the World Series. — BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Healdsburg's redwood- and Bradford pear–canopied square. — Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2021 Sarah Flint looked at pointe slippers—somewhat square-toed, but also rounded—in the design of these flats. — Alexis Bennett, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2021 The driver got out to assess the damage, and the cyclist punched him square in the face. — Molly Longman, refinery29.com, 22 Mar. 2021 Cut parts square and then trim away a few whisper-fine shavings of wood for a furniture-quality fit. — Thomas Klenck, Popular Mechanics, 20 June 2020 Even in the Midwest, where the thin-crusted, square-cut pizzas originated, tavern pies tend to play second fiddle to the deep dish and pan pies of the world. — Michael Russell, oregonlive, 25 Mar. 2020 Thank goodness that got me back square, so that was a lot of fun. — Michelle R. Martinelli, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2020 To cut into small diamonds from the 11-by-7-inch size: Make three long cuts (for four rows) and 6 short cuts (for 7 rows), then cut each resulting square in half diagonally. — Nancy Stohs, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3 Dec. 2019 The center stone appeared to be square-cut gem surrounded by a halo of diamonds and set on a thin band. — Claudia Harmata, PEOPLE.com, 5 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'square.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of square

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adverb

circa 1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Learn More About square

Dictionary Entries Near square

squarable

square

square alphabet

Statistics for square

Last Updated

16 Oct 2021

Cite this Entry

“Square.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/square. Accessed 24 Oct. 2021.

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More Definitions for square

square

noun

English Language Learners Definition of square

(Entry 1 of 4)

: a four-sided shape that is made up of four straight sides that are the same length and that has four right angles

: any of the squares on a board for playing games (such as chess and checkers)

: the number that results from multiplying a number by itself

square

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of square (Entry 2 of 4)

: shaped like a square : having four straight sides that are the same length and four right angles at each corner

: forming a right angle

: shaped more like a right angle than a curve

square

verb

English Language Learners Definition of square (Entry 3 of 4)

: to make (something) square : to give (something) straight edges, flat surfaces, or sharp, even corners

: to multiply (a number) by itself

: to pay money that is owed for (something)

square

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of square (Entry 4 of 4)

: in a direct way

See the full definition for square in the English Language Learners Dictionary

square

noun

\ ˈskwer

Kids Definition of square

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : a flat geometric figure that has four equal sides and four right angles

2 : something formed with four equal or roughly equal sides and four right angles the squares of a checkerboard

3 : the product of a number or amount multiplied by itself

4 : an open place or area where two or more streets meet

5 : a tool having at least one right angle and two or more straight edges used to mark or test right angles a carpenter's square

square

adjective

squarer; squarest

Kids Definition of square (Entry 2 of 4)

1 : having four equal sides and four right angles a square room

2 : being a unit of area consisting of a figure with four right angles and four sides of a given length a square meter

3 : having a specified length in each of two equal dimensions The room is ten feet square.

4 : having outlines that suggest sharp corners rather than curves a square jaw

5 : forming a right angle a square corner

6 : just entry 1 sense 4, fair a square deal

7 : not owing anything : even I paid you back so we're square.

8 : large enough to satisfy a square meal

square

verb

squared; squaring

Kids Definition of square (Entry 3 of 4)

1 : to form with right angles, straight edges, and flat surfaces I need to square off the boards.

2 : to make straight I sat before the boss and squared my shoulders.

3 : to multiply a number by itself

4 : agree sense 4 Your story does not square with the facts.

5 : settle entry 1 sense 11 Let's square our accounts.

square

adverb

Kids Definition of square (Entry 4 of 4)

: in a direct, firm, or honest way She won fair and square. He looked me square in the eye.

square

adjective

\ ˈskwa(ə)r, ˈskwe(ə)r

Medical Definition of square

: being or converted to a unit of area equal in measure to a square each side of which measures one unit of a specified unit of length a square foot

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square

adjective

Legal Definition of square

: fitting the factual or legal situation at bar we have been shown no square holding of a Florida court to that effect — Milhet Caterers, Inc. v. North Western Meat, Inc., 185 So. 2d 196 (1966)