square one

American  

noun

1. a starting point; initial stage or step.

   If this plan fails, we'll have to go back to square one.

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Etymology

Origin of square one

First recorded in 1955–60; alluding to board games in which a player is penalized by being forced to return to the starting point

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

square one

But then that moment passed and the Boston-bred comic was once again starting from square one scrounging for joke ideas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

That leaves investors back to square one, in some respects, in terms of assessing the market’s path into the second half of the year.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

If not, we are back to square one.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026

Aston Martin is still at square one, despite making Adrian Newey, the most successful designer in F1 history, one of the highest paid people in the sport.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026

The rooms were one square, one window, one sink, one toilet, one shower.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri