least squares

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noun Statistics.

a method of estimating values from a set of observations by minimizing the sum of the squares of the differences between the observations and the values to be found.

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Also called least-squares method, method of least squares.

Origin of least squares

First recorded in 1860–65

Words nearby least squares

least of all, least resistance, line of, least sandpiper, least shrew, least significant digit, least squares, least upper bound, leastways, least weasel, leastwise, least-worst

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use least squares in a sentence

The street is closed to traffic and kids run unfettered across inviting hopscotch squares and bicycle lanes.
Allah, Mom, and Baklava: Turkish President Uses Mothers and Kids as Political Pawns|Xanthe Ackerman|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Venetians sip their coffee in quiet squares and walk their dogs along the waterfront with nary a tourist in sight.
After the Wedding: George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin in Venice|Barbie Latza Nadeau|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, the smooth-faced look like the creepy ones, the squares.
Leo, the Beard Has to Go: When a Man’s Facial Hair Reaches Crisis Point|Tim Teeman|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even the watermelon he serves me is in keeping with a certain aesthetic—perfectly arranged squares, like a Mondrian painting.
Gosta Peterson's Bohemian Rhapsody: Unpacking a Photographer's '60s Secrets|Lizzie Crocker|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

There could also be wireless-free areas of libraries, coffee shops, public squares, and office buildings.
Keep Our Wilderness Off Of Wi-Fi|Michael Schulson|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Troops are now stationed every where round the country, which exactly squares with my ideas.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
In vain the French cavalry charged the English squares, still unshaken by artillery and infantry fire.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
I don't suppose he lies;—he sells it to the editor, who knows how many squares off "Sumatra" is.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
The brown loaf was cut by a very excited little hostess into five thick squares; the cheese into four.
The Box-Car Children|Gertrude Chandler Warner
Their view extended down the hillside divided into brown and green squares of cultivated fields.
Honey-Bee|Anatole France

British Dictionary definitions for least squares

least squares

noun

a method for determining the best value of an unknown quantity relating one or more sets of observations or measurements, esp to find a curve that best fits a set of data. It states that the sum of the squares of the deviations of the experimentally determined value from its optimum value should be a minimum

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012