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noun
1.
a rectangle having all four sides of equal length.
2.
anything having this form or a form approximating it, as a city block, rectangular piece of candy, etc.
3.
an open area or plaza in a city or town, formed by the meeting or intersecting of two or more streets and often planted with grass, trees, etc., in the center.
4.
a rectangularly shaped area on a game board, as in chess or checkers.
5.
a try square, T square, or the like.
6.
Mathematics.

the second power of a quantity, expressed as a2 = a × a, where a is the quantity.
a quantity that is the second power of another:
Four is the square of two.

7.
Slang. a person who is ignorant of or uninterested in current fads, ideas, manners, tastes, etc.; an old-fashioned, conventional, or conservative person.
8.
Military. (formerly) a body of troops drawn up in quadrilateral form.
9.
Building Trades. a unit of measure for roofing materials, equal to 100 square feet (9.3 sq. m).
10.
a flower bud of the cotton plant.
11.
Nautical. the area at the bottom of a hatchway.
12.
Usually, squares. Informal. a square meal:
to get three squares a day.
13.
Astrology. a situation in which two heavenly bodies or groups of heavenly bodies have celestial longitudes differing by 90 degrees, an aspect indicative of internal tension with an equally strong and conflicting need for adjustment.
14.
Obsolete. a pattern, standard, or example.
verb (used with object), squared, squaring.
15.
to reduce to square, rectangular, or cubical form (often followed by off):
He squared off the log to make a timber for his house.
16.
to mark out in one or more squares or rectangles.
17.
to test with measuring devices for deviation from a right angle, straight line, or plane surface.
18.
Mathematics.

to multiply (a number or quantity) by itself; raise to the second power.
to describe or find a square that is equivalent in area to:
to square a circle.

19.
to bring to the form of a right angle or right angles; set at right angles to something else.
20.
to even the score of (a contest):
to square a game.
21.
to set (the shoulders and back) in an erect posture so they form an angle similar to a right angle.
22.
to make straight, level, or even:
Square the cloth on the table.
23.
to regulate, as by a standard; adapt; adjust.
24.
to adjust harmoniously or satisfactorily (often followed by with):
How could you square such actions with your conscience?
25.
to balance; pay off; settle:
to square a debt.
26.
Slang. to secure a desired action or attitude by means of bribery; bribe.
verb (used without object), squared, squaring.
27.
to accord or agree (often followed by with):
Your theory does not square with the facts.
28.
to settle, even, or balance a matter, as by paying a bill, returning a favor, or tying a score.
29.
(of a cotton plant) to form buds.
adjective, squarer, squarest.
30.
formed by or as a right angle; having some part or parts rectangular:
a square corner.
31.
having four sides and four right angles in two dimensions or three pairs of parallel sides meeting at right angles in three dimensions; having each dimension in the shape of a square or rectangle and all angles right angles:
a square box.
32.
noting any unit of area measurement having the form of a square and designated by a unit of linear measurement forming a side of the square:
one square foot.
33.
noting a system of area measurement in terms of such units.
34.
(of an area) equal to a square of a specified length on a side:
five miles square.
35.
at right angles, or perpendicular.
36.
Nautical. at right angles to the mast and the keel, as a yard.
37.
having a square or rectangular section:
a square bar.
38.
having a solid, sturdy form, especially when characterized by a rectilinear or angular outline.
39.
straight, level, or even, as a surface.
40.
leaving no balance of debt on either side; having all accounts settled:
I’m all square with my landlord.
41.
just, fair, or honest.
42.
straightforward, direct, or unequivocal.
43.
Slang. conventional or conservative in style or outlook; not hip.
adverb
44.
so as to be square; in square or rectangular form.
45.
at right angles.
46.
fairly or honestly.
47.
directly or straightforwardly.
Verb phrases
48.
square around, Baseball. (of a bunter) to shift the feet and body from a conventional batting stance to a position facing the pitcher, with the bat held across and in front of the body.
49.
square away,

Nautical. to arrange the yards so as to sail before the wind.
to prepare; get ready:
Square away for dinner.
to assume a position of defense or offense:
The wrestlers squared away for the first fall.
to organize or complete satisfactorily; put in order:
I want to square away the work before going on vacation.

50.
square off,

to assume a posture of defense or offense, as in boxing:
They squared off for a fight.
to prepare to dispute with another; show signs of opposition or resistance:
The governor and the legislature are squaring off over the landfill issue.

51.
square up, to pay or settle an account, bill, etc.:
We squared up with the cashier and checked out of the hotel.
Idioms
52.
on the square,

at right angles.
Informal. straightforward; honest; just:
Their dealings with us have always been on the square.

53.
out of square,

not at right angles.
not in agreement; incorrect; irregular:
The inspector’s conclusions are out of square with his earlier report.

54.
square the circle, to strive without chance of success; attempt the impossible.
noun
1.
a plane geometric figure having four equal sides and four right angles Compare rectangle, rhombus
2.
any object, part, or arrangement having this or a similar shape: a square of carpet, a square on a chess board
3.
(capital when part of name) an open area in a town, sometimes including the surrounding buildings, which may form a square
4.
(maths) the product of two equal factors; the second power: 9 is the square of 3, written 3²
5.
an instrument having two strips of wood, metal, etc, set in the shape of a T or L, used for constructing or testing right angles
6.
(cricket) the closely-cut area in the middle of a ground on which wickets are prepared
7.
a body of soldiers drawn up in the form of a square
8.
(rowing) the position of the blade of an oar perpendicular to the surface of the water just before and during a stroke
9.
(informal) a person who is old-fashioned in views, customs, appearance, etc
10.
(astrology) an aspect of about 90° between two planets, etc See conjunction (sense 5), opposition (sense 9), trine (sense 1)
11.
(obsolete) a standard, pattern, or rule
12.
back to square one, indicating a return to the starting-point of an investigation, experiment, etc, because of failure, lack of progress, etc
13.
on the square

at right angles
on equal terms
(informal) honestly and openly
(slang) a phrase identifying someone as a Freemason: he is on the square

14.
out of square

not at right angles or not having a right angle
not in order or agreement

adjective
15.
being a square in shape
16.
having or forming one or more right angles or being at right angles to something
17.
square or rectangular in section: a square bar
18.

(prenominal) denoting a measure of area of any shape: a circle of four square feet
(immediately postpositive) denoting a square having a specified length on each side: a board four feet square contains 16 square feet

19.
fair and honest (esp in the phrase a square deal)
20.
straight, even, or level: a square surface
21.
(cricket) at right angles to the wicket: square leg
22.
(sport) in a straight line across the pitch: a square pass
23.
(nautical) (of the sails of a square-rigger) set at right angles to the keel
24.
(informal) old-fashioned in views, customs, appearance, etc
25.
stocky or sturdy: square shoulders
26.
(postpositive) having no remaining debts or accounts to be settled
27.
(of a horse’s gait) sound, steady, or regular
28.
(prenominal) unequivocal or straightforward: a square contradiction
29.
(postpositive) neat and tidy
30.
(maths) (of a matrix) having the same number of rows and columns
31.
all square, on equal terms; even in score
32.
(informal) square peg, square peg in a round hole, a person or thing that is a misfit, such as an employee in a job for which he is unsuited
verb (mainly transitive)
33.
to make into a square or similar shape
34.
(maths) to raise (a number or quantity) to the second power
35.
to test or adjust for deviation with respect to a right angle, plane surface, etc
36.
(sometimes foll by off) to divide into squares
37.
to position so as to be rectangular, straight, or level: square the shoulders
38.
(sometimes foll by up) to settle (debts, accounts, etc)
39.
to level (the score) in a game, etc
40.
(also intransitive) often foll by with. to agree or cause to agree: your ideas don’t square with mine
41.
(rowing) to turn (an oar) perpendicular to the surface of the water just before commencing a stroke
42.
(in canoeing) to turn (a paddle) perpendicular to the direction of the canoe at the commencement of a stroke Compare feather (sense 15)
43.
to arrange (something), esp by a corrupt method or come to an arrangement with (someone), as by bribery
44.
square the circle, to attempt the impossible (in reference to the insoluble problem of constructing a square having exactly the same area as a given circle)
adverb
45.
in order to be square
46.
at right angles
47.
(sport) in a straight line across the pitch: pass the ball square
48.
(informal) squarely
square
(skwâr)
Noun

A rectangle having four equal sides.

The product that results when a number or quantity is multiplied by itself. The square of 8, for example, is 64.

Adjective Of, being, or using units that express the measure of area.

Verb To multiply a number, quantity, or expression by itself.
square (of a number)

A number multiplied by itself, or raised to the second power. The square of three is nine; the square of nine is eighty-one.
spunky

language
A query language, a precursor to SQL.
[“Specifying Queries as Relational Expressions: The SQUARE Data Sublanguage”, R.E. Boyce et al, CACM 18(11):621-628 (Nov 1975)].
(1995-05-02)