square
skweh-uh
Square (noun) means a four-sided shape with equal sides and right angles. Example: “The teacher asked the children to cut a red square from the paper.”
noun
1
A four-sided shape with equal sides and right angles.
"The teacher asked the children to cut a red square from the paper."
"A chessboard is made up of sixty-four small black and white squares."
"She drew a square on the graph paper."
2
An open public area in a town or city, often surrounded by buildings.
"Pigeons strutted around the old square while people drank coffee outside the cafés."
"We arranged to meet by the fountain in the square at noon."
"Tourists gathered in the main square to watch the parade."
adj
1
Forming or having right angles.
"Make sure the shelf is square before you screw it in."
"The box had square corners, so it stacked neatly in the van."
"A square room is easier to furnish than one with an odd shape."
2
Fair, honest, and straightforward.
"I trust that shopkeeper because he is always square with his customers."
"The referee was square and gave neither team an unfair advantage."
"He gave me a square deal on the used car."
3
Informal: old-fashioned or conventional in a boring way.
"My brother thinks I am square because I go to bed before ten."
"Wearing a tie to the party made him look rather square."
"His parents thought rock music was for squares."
verb
1
To multiply a number by itself.
"If you square four, you get sixteen."
"The teacher asked us to square five and write the answer down."
"To find the area of the room, you square the length of one side."
2
To make something agree or match with something else.
"His excuse for being late simply does not square with the train times."
"His story didn't square with what the witnesses said."
"I need to square my schedule with yours before we book the flights."
How to use square
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe four-sided shape, a public plaza, having right angles, being honest and fair, or — as a verb — to multiply a number by itself or make two things match up.
Common mistake
As slang for a boring, conventional person, "square" is dated — it reads as 1950s-60s slang today.
Common pairings
town square
square deal
square up
square the numbers
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like square.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Third person singular
- squares
- Past tense
- squared
- Comparative
- squarer, more square
- Superlative
- squarest, most square
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The teacher asked the children to cut a red _____ from the paper.
Etymology
From Old French esquarre, ultimately from Latin ex- plus quadrus ("four-sided"); a doublet of "squad."
Synonyms
View more →
straight
lame
feather
square up
foursquare
square toes
second power
public square
substantial
hearty
satisfying
solid
Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for square
See all rhymes for square →Frequently asked questions
What does “square” mean?
The word “square” means a four-sided shape with equal sides and right angles. In plain terms, the four-sided shape, a public plaza, having right angles, being honest and fair, or — as a verb — to multiply a number by itself or make two things match up.
How do you pronounce “square”?
“Square” is pronounced skweh-uh (/skwɛɹ/ in IPA).
How do you use “square” in a sentence?
Here is “square” used in a sentence: “She drew a square on the graph paper.”
What part of speech is “square”?
Depending on how it is used, “square” can be a noun, an adjective and a verb.
Where does the word “square” come from?
The word “square” comes from Latin. From Old French esquarre, ultimately from Latin ex- plus quadrus ("four-sided"); a doublet of "squad.".
Is “square” a common word?
“Square” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “square” have?
“Square” has 7 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a four-sided shape with equal sides and right angles.
What is the difference between a square and a rectangle?
Both have four straight sides and four right angles, but a square must have all four sides equal in length, while a rectangle only needs its opposite sides to match. This makes a square a special kind of rectangle: every square is a rectangle, but most rectangles, being longer than they are wide, are not squares.
What is the difference between a square and a rhombus?
A rhombus has four equal sides, just like a square, but its corners are not right angles — it looks like a leaning or diamond shape. A square is effectively a rhombus straightened to ninety-degree corners. So a square is both a special rectangle and a special rhombus, combining equal sides with right angles.
What are the properties of a square?
A square has four equal sides and four right angles of ninety degrees. Its opposite sides are parallel, its two diagonals are equal in length and cross at right angles, and it has four lines of symmetry. These features make it one of the most regular and balanced shapes in geometry.
Does 'square' have other meanings?
Yes. Beyond the shape, a square can be an open public space in a town, the result of multiplying a number by itself (nine is the square of three), or a tool for drawing right angles. Informally it can even describe someone seen as dull or conventional. Context makes the meaning clear.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include square:
