square up

USAGE SUMMARY

Sentence "Square up" is a slang and informal way of saying to settle a debt or to make things fair, so it is not appropriate to use in formal, academic writing.
In colloquial English, you could use it in the following example: We still need to "square up" on the rent this month.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

McLean and Brown square up.

The Guardian - Sport

The two fighters square up again.

The New York Times - Magazine

Seeing the ball and try to square up".

The New York Times - Sports

"So let's square up and call it a day".

The New Yorker

He doesn't want to square up with you.

The New York Times - Sports

We need to square up to vested interests.

The Guardian

A couple times tonight he was telling me to square up, especially in between innings".

The New York Times - Sports

If hitters can square up his mid-80s fastball, it often travels a long way.

The New York Times - Sports

But they could yet square up to their heavyweight counterparts on the railways.

The Economist

Anyone who says that Obama is unable to square up to McCain was certainly proven wrong.

The Guardian - Opinion

"We need to square up the rhetoric and the substance," Mr. Gordon said.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In sports writing, use "square up" to describe a player positioning their body directly toward a target or hitting a ball with the center of the bat.

Common error

When using "square up" to mean paying a debt, ensure the context clearly implies money. In formal business writing, prefer "settle the invoice" or "reconcile the account" to avoid the slangy tone associated with the phrase.

Linguistic Context

As a phrasal verb, "square up" functions both transitively and intransitively. According to Ludwig AI, it acts as an action-oriented phrase that describes the process of making things 'square' (straight, equal, or balanced). In the provided examples, it is frequently used with prepositions like 'to' or 'with'.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Wiki

25%

Sports Journalism

15%

Less common in

Science

3%

Formal Business

1%

Academia

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "square up" is a multifaceted phrasal verb that is very common in modern English. As noted by Ludwig AI, it serves three distinct primary functions: financial reconciliation, physical alignment, and competitive confrontation. While it is perfectly acceptable in journalism and instructional writing, its use in social contexts can lean toward the informal or slang. When you use "square up", ensure the surrounding context clarifies whether you are talking about paying back a friend, aligning a piece of furniture, or facing an opponent on the field. For formal business or academic needs, consider more precise alternatives like "reconcile" or "align" to maintain a professional tone.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

settle up

focuses specifically on paying a debt or resolving a financial balance

square off

emphasizes the beginning of a fight or a competitive confrontation

align

provides a more formal alternative for physical or conceptual positioning

even out

suggests making things equal or balanced in a general sense

confront

replaces the confrontational aspect with a direct verb

reconcile

a formal term for making two things (like accounts or ideas) consistent

face off

commonly used in sports and competitions to describe a direct meeting

match up

describes the process of checking if two items or opponents are compatible

level the score

specifically refers to equalizing a situation or game

straighten out

idiomatically refers to fixing a confused or messy situation

FAQs

How do I use "square up" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe settling a debt, like "Let's "square up" for dinner tonight", or physical alignment, as in "You need to "square up" the edges of the wood before cutting."

What is the difference between "square up" and "settle up"?

While both mean to pay what is owed, "settle up" is strictly financial, whereas "square up" can also mean to prepare for a fight or align objects physically.

Is "square up" considered slang?

In the context of fighting or casual debt repayment, it is considered informal or slang. However, in sports (like baseball or basketball) and crafts (like quilting), it is a standard technical term.

What does it mean to "square up to" someone?

It means to face them directly in a confrontational or competitive manner. Alternatives include to "stand up to" or "confront" that person.