square
noun · adjective · adverb · verb
Simple meaning
A plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
skwehrIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈskwɛɹ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
geometry
A plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles; a four-sided regular polygon
“You can compute the area of a square if you know the length of its sides.”
geometry
A hand tool consisting of two straight arms at right angles; used to construct or test right angles
“The carpenter who built this room must have lost his square.”
geometry
Any artifact having a shape similar to a plane geometric figure with four equal sides and four right angles
An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles.
canadaus
A dessert cut into rectangular pieces, or a piece of such a dessert.
An open space or park, often in the center of a town, not necessarily square in shape, often containing trees, seating and other features pleasing to the eye.
adjective
Forming a right angle (90°).
of box-shaped objects such as buildings or metal frames
Forming right angles in all planes as intended; not racked or leaning.
Having a shape broad for the height, with angular rather than curving outlines.
Honest; straightforward; fair.
Satisfied; comfortable with; not experiencing any conflict.
Even; tied
adverb
Directly.
verb
transitive
To adjust so as to align with or place at a right angle to something else; in particular
transitive
To adjust or adapt so as to bring into harmony with something.
To accord or agree exactly; to be consistent with; to suit; to fit.
To take a boxing attitude; often with up or off.
To form with four sides and four right angles.
To form with right angles and straight lines, or flat surfaces.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles; a four-sided regular polygon
Used this way, square is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a mathematical use: it is defined precisely and belongs to working with figures and calculations rather than to ordinary conversation.
“You can compute the area of a square if you know the length of its sides.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Mathematics
- Geometry
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- foursquare , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use square
- “You can compute the area of a square if you know the length of its sides.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Drill on a barracks square.
Music performed for square dancing.
A square-rigged sailing ship.
Molding in the form of a ring.
Put (things or places) in order.
A block in the (approximate) shape of a cube.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.