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.

---

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

If not, we are back to square one.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

But he quickly found himself back to square one; back to where it all started.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 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

He had to begin at square one and get to square 100.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026

Back to square one, back to being invisible and unnoticed.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan