square the circle

Idioms  

1. Try to do the impossible, as in Getting that bill through the legislature is the same as trying to square the circle. This idiom alludes to the impossibility of turning a circle into a square. John Donne may have been the first to use it (Sermons, 1624): “Go not thou about to square either circle (God or thyself).”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

square the circle

In his speech there was a big clue about how to square the circle of investing in industrial policy at a time of tricky public finances.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

They square the circle of Swift masterminding a full-scale trolling of media and fans while simultaneously hosting a cotton-candy celebrity circus.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

Is there a way for Mr. Warsh to square the circle?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

But the group’s vagueness as it tries to square the circle of its own positions has fueled suspicion.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2024

The attempt to "square the circle" gives only an approximate result, because of the impossibility of expressing the circumference in terms of the radius.

From English Synonyms and Antonyms With Notes on the Correct Use of Prepositions by James Champlin Fernald