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Synonyms

square off

British  

verb

  1. (intr, adverb) to assume a posture of offence or defence, as in boxing

"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
square off Idioms  

  1. Take a fighting stance, prepare to fight, as in As they squared off, the teacher came out and stopped them, or The ambassador said the two countries were squaring off. [First half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

New Jersey’s taxman was watching Spain and Argentina square off, Raiola said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026

Bellows, Jackson, Shah, and Wood will square off at 7, followed by Kleban, Costello, Webb, and a former state representative at 8.

From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026

The public is about to square off with the bond market in Britain, and the country’s politicians are struggling to play both sides.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

If no candidate gets a majority in the primary, the top two vote-getters will square off Nov. 3.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

To be honest, all us kids in the class loved to see the two of them square off.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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