square bracket

American  

[skwair brak-it] / ˈskwɛər ˌbræk ɪt /

noun

1. Printing. one of two marks [ or ] used in writing or printing to enclose parenthetical matter, interpolations, etc.

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square bracket British  

noun

1. either of a pair of characters [ ], used to enclose a section of writing or printing to separate it from the main text

2. Also called: bracket.  either of these characters used as a sign of aggregation in mathematical or logical expressions indicating that the expression contained in the brackets is to be evaluated first and treated as a unit in the evaluation of the whole

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Etymology

Origin of square bracket

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

The text of a new draft released last month contains spaces in square brackets, ready to be filled in when more-quantitative measures are agreed.

From Nature

The draft statement, to which all the G20 financial leaders have to agree, contains a sentence in square brackets — which means it was not yet agreed — that trade and investment were important engines of growth.

From Reuters

However, the fact this section was in square brackets implies it had not been fully signed off by all parties.

From BBC

Forget the fight over including one sentence or another, what goes in the square brackets or the footnotes of the deal.

From BBC

He said a draft deal contained "unclear language" and "square brackets".

From BBC