squire
Americannoun
-
(in England) a country gentleman, especially the chief landed proprietor in a district.
-
(in the Middle Ages) a young man of noble birth who as an aspirant to knighthood served a knight.
-
a personal attendant, as of a person of rank.
-
a man who accompanies or escorts a woman.
-
a title applied to a justice of the peace, local judge, or other local dignitary of a rural district or small town.
verb (used with object)
-
to attend as, or in the manner of, a squire.
-
to escort (a woman), as to a dance or social gathering.
noun
-
a country gentleman in England, esp the main landowner in a rural community
-
feudal history a young man of noble birth, who attended upon a knight
-
rare a man who courts or escorts a woman
-
informal a term of address used by one man to another, esp, unless ironic, to a member of a higher social class
-
an immature snapper See snapper
verb
Other Word Forms
- squireless adjective
- squirelike adjective
- unsquired adjective
Etymology
Origin of squire
1250–1300; Middle English squier; aphetic variant of esquire
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.
Near the start, when Dunk reluctantly accepts Egg as his squire, he set the terms of their relationship in a dark field outside the town where the tourney that births their legend takes place.
From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026
Martin’s novella series “Tales of Dunk and Egg,” stars Peter Claffey as a wandering knight and Dexter Sol Ansell as his squire, who is secretly a Targaryen prince.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026
One such charity case was young Dunk, whom the older knight saved from a thief’s knife before taking on the boy as his squire.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026
It follows the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall, and his squire, Egg.
From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025
"And leave your poor squire to walk all the way to Pyke?"
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
