square off

verb

squared off; squaring off; squares off

intransitive verb

: to take a fighting stance : prepare to fight
also : fight

Examples of square off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jupiter squaring off with the nodes creates tension between the seen and unseen. Usa Today, USA Today, 18 May 2025 With the season's second major championship on tap this week, DeChambeau was asked his thoughts on squaring off with McIlroy once again. Kendall Capps, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025 In 1985, posters promoting a show of collaborative paintings by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat featured the artists posing in boxing gear, as if squaring off instead of teaming up. Tim F. Schneider, New York Times, 12 May 2025 Consider the crypto firm Ripple, which spent four years squaring off against Biden’s regulators in federal courtrooms and donated $4.9 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for square off

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of square off was in 1837

Cite this Entry

“Square off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/square%20off. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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