Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

square off

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.81 in modern English

Syllables: square off
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To get ready for a confrontation (debate, argument, fight).

Canadian usage; American usage; Intransitive verb

verb

To increase the boxiness of (a design).

Example Sentences

"Hey, man, don't square off on me with some bullshit."
"When James Baldwin Squared Off Against William F. Buckley Jr. [title]"
"The world’s two biggest economies, the United States and China, squared off on the South China Sea issue at a meeting with Southeast Asian leaders on Thursday (Sep 9) while host Indonesia urged counterparts to maintain peace and avoid conflicts."
"After the aeronautically inspired curvaceous designs of the 1930s and 1940s, many American automotive designs of the 1950s through 1970s were somewhat more squared off."

Usage

Inflected Forms

squares off (present, singular) squaring off (participle, present) squared off (participle, past) squared off (past)

Synonyms

square up settle determine

Antonyms

stand down round off

Questions

What does square off mean?: To get ready for a confrontation (debate, argument, fight).

How to pronounce square off

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “square off”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “square off” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.