square
see also: Square
Pronunciation
  • (British) IPA: /skwɛə(ɹ)/, /skwɛː(ɹ)/, enPR: skwâr
  • (America) IPA: /skwɛɚ/, enPR: skwâr
Noun

square (plural squares)

  1. (geometry) A polygon with four sides of equal length and four right angle; an equilateral rectangle; a regular quadrilateral.
    • 1927, Kazimir Malevich, The Non-Objective World
      I took refuge in the square form and exhibited a picture which consisted of nothing more than a black square on a white field.
    Synonyms: tetragon
  2. Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form.
    1. A cell in a grid.
      You may not move a piece to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces.
    2. A square piece, part, or surface, such as a square of glass.
    3. The front of a woman's dress over the bosom, usually worked or embroidered.
    4. (North America) A dessert cut into rectangular pieces, or a piece of such a dessert.
    5. (printing) A certain number of lines, forming a portion of a column, nearly square; used chiefly in reckoning the prices of advertisements in newspapers.
    6. (often, in street names) A four-sided space enclosed by houses.
  3. An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles.
    Synonyms: steel square, framing square, carpenter's square
    1. (figuratively, obsolete) A true measure, standard, or pattern.
  4. An open space often in the center of a town, not necessarily square in shape, often containing trees, seating and other features pleasing to the eye.
    • 1705 (revised 1718), Joseph Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy
      The statue of Alexander the Seventh stands in the large square of the town.
    • 1995 October 10, NewsRadio, season 2 episode 3:
      You're not in Wisconsin, Dave. The big story isn't about a cow wandering into the town square.
    Synonyms: piazza, plaza
  5. (mathematics) The product of a number or quantity multiplied by itself; the second power of a number, value, term or expression.
    64 is the square of 8.
  6. (military) A body of troops drawn up in a square formation.
    • c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act 3, scene xi]:
      he alone
      Dealt on lieutenantry, and no practice had
      In the brave squares of war
    • 1818, quoted in Christopher Kelly, History of the French Revolution and of the Wars produced by that Memorable Event
      The French cavalry, in proof armour, repeatedly charged our squares, their cannon opening chasms; but the British infantry, though greatly diminished, were inflexible and impenetrable to the last.
    • , Henry Newbolt, Vitae Lampada
      The sand of the desert is sodden red,— / Red with the wreck of a square that broke;— / The Gatling's jammed and the Colonel dead, / And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.
    • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, page 144:
      After disastrous attempts to break the Russian squares, during which, Longworth recounts, ‘the best and the bravest of the warriors fell victim to their own rashness’, the Circassians likewise changed their tactics.
  7. (1950s slang) A socially conventional or conservative person; a person who has little or no interest in the latest fads or trends: still sometimes used in modern terminology.
    Why do you always wear a tie? Don't be such a square!
  8. (British) The symbol # on a telephone; hash.
    Enter your account number followed by a square.
    Synonyms: hash, sharp, pound sign
  9. (cricket) The central area of a cricket field, with one or more pitches of which only one is used at a time.
    An ideal playing area is roughly circular in shape with a central area, the cricket square, measuring 27.44 metres by 27.44 metres and boundaries 45.75 metres from the sides of the square.
  10. (real estate) A unit of measurement of area, equal to a 10 foot by 10 foot square, i.e. 100 square feet or roughly 9.3 square metres. Used in real estate for the size of a house or its rooms, though progressively being replaced by square metres in metric countries such as Australia.
    • '2006, Macquarie Bank (Australia), press release Macquarie releases Real Estate Market Outlook 2006 - "The World Squared", 21 June 2006
      Just as the basic unit of real estate measurement across the world is the square
    • 2007, Your Estate advertisement for Grindelwald Tasmania
      The house is very large and open and boasts 39 squares of living space plus over 13 squares of decking area on 3 sides and 17 squares of garage and workshop downstairs.
  11. (roofing) A unit used in measuring roof area equivalent to 100 square feet (9.29 m2) of roof area.
  12. (academia) A mortarboard
  13. (colloquial, US) A square meal.
    Even when times were tough, we got three squares a day.
  14. (archaic) Exact proportion; justness of workmanship and conduct; regularity; rule.
    • They of Galatia [were] much more out of square.
    • c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene iii]:
      I have not kept my square.
  15. The relation of harmony, or exact agreement; equality; level.
    • We live not on the square with such as these.
  16. (astrology) The position of planets distant ninety degrees from each other; a quadrate.
  17. (dated) The act of squaring, or quarrelling; a quarrel.
  18. (slang) cigarette.
  19. (brewing) A vat used for fermentation.
Synonyms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations
  • Italian: squadra
  • Russian: каре́
Translations Translations Translations Translations Adjective

square (comparative squarer, superlative squarest)

  1. Shaped like a square the polygon.
  2. Forming a right angle, especially (nautical) at right angles with the mast or the keel, and parallel to the horizon; said of the yards of a square-rigged vessel when they are so braced.
    a square corner
    Synonyms: orthogonal, perpendicular, normal
    Antonyms: crooked
  3. Of numbers formed by multiplying two equal numbers.
    9 is a square number.
  4. Used in the names of units of area formed by multiplying a unit of length by itself.
    square metre
    square mile
    Coordinate terms: cubic#English|cubic, linear#English|linear
  5. Honest; straightforward.
    square dealing
    Synonyms: above board, on the level, on the square, on the up and up, straight
  6. Fair.
    I'm just looking for a square deal on my car repair.
  7. even#Adjective|Even; tied#Adjective|tied
    to make or leave the accounts square
    The sides were square at the end of the half.
  8. (slang, derogatory) Socially conventional; boring.
    Synonyms: bourgeois
  9. (cricket) In line with the batsman's popping crease.
  10. Correctly aligned with respect to something else.
  11. Hearty; vigorous.
    It may be prison, but at least I'm getting three square meals a day.
    • c. 1613 (first performance), John Fletcher, “The Tragedie of Bonduca”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: Printed for Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, OCLC 3083972 ↗, Act 2, scene 3:
      By Heaven, square eaters. More meat, I say.
  12. Having a shape broad for the height, with angular rather than curving outlines.
    a man of a square frame
Translations Translations Translations
  • Russian: квадра́тный
Translations Translations
  • Russian: че́стный
Translations Verb

square (squares, present participle squaring; past and past participle squared)

  1. (transitive) To adjust so as to align with or place at a right angle to something else; in particular:
    The casting was mounted on a milling machine so that its sides could be squared.
    1. (nautical) To place at a right angle to the mast or keel.
      to square the yards
  2. (ambitransitive) To resolve or reconcile; to suit or fit.
    John can square this question up for us.
    These results just don't square with what we expected.
  3. To adjust or adapt so as to bring into harmony with something.
    I cannot square the results of the experiment with my hypothesis.
    to square our actions by the opinions of others
    • 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], H[enry] Lawes, editor, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: Printed [by Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, OCLC 228715864 ↗; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, OCLC 1113942837 ↗:
      Square my trial / To my proportioned strength.
  4. (transitive, mathematics) Of a value, term or expression, to multiply by itself; to raise to the second power.
  5. (transitive) To draw, with a pair of compasses and a straightedge only, a square with the same area as.
    square the circle
  6. (soccer) To make a short low pass sideways across the pitch
  7. (archaic) To take opposing sides; to quarrel.
  8. To accord or agree exactly; to be consistent with; to suit; to fit.
    • No works shall find acceptance […] that square not truly with the Scripture plan.
  9. (obsolete) To go to opposite sides; to take an attitude of offense or defense, or of defiance; to quarrel.
    • c. 1588–1593, William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act II, scene i]:
      Are you such fools / To square for this?
  10. To take a boxing attitude; often with up or off.
  11. To form with four sides and four right angles.
  12. To form with right angles and straight lines, or flat surfaces.
    to square mason's work
    • 2002, William Boyd: Any Human Heart:
      Everything on his writing desk was squared off: blotter, paper knife, pen rack.
  13. To compare with, or reduce to, any given measure or standard.
  14. (astrology) To hold a quartile position respecting.
    • the icy Goat and Crab that square the Scales
Translations Translations Translations
  • Russian: согласо́вывать
Translations Translations
  • Russian: согласо́вываться

Square
Proper noun
  1. Surname



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