square up

See also: square-up

English

Verb

square up (third-person singular simple present squares up, present participle squaring up, simple past and past participle squared up)

1. (intransitive) To get ready for a fight.

   Synonym: square off

   Antonym: stand down

2. (intransitive) To adopt a fighting stance.

   Synonym: square off

   Antonym: stand down

   • 2017 March 14, Stuart James, “Leicester stun Sevilla to reach last eight after Kasper Schmeichel save”, in The Guardian‎^[1], archived from the original on 3 December 2020:

     Samir Nasri was shown a second yellow card moments earlier after squaring up to Jamie Vardy, with the two players going forehead to forehead after exchanging insults.

3. To face (someone) in a contest.

   Synonym: square off

   Antonym: stand down

4. (intransitive) To pay back money that is owed.

   Let me know how much my share in the activity is and I'll square up with you tomorrow.

5. (transitive, machining, die making) To mill (blocks, inserts, etc) into precisely square condition.

Further reading

• “square up”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.