square one

noun

The place where one begins; a lack of progress.

“We discovered that our first idea would never work, so we were back to square one.”

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Meanings

nounsquare one (plural not attested)
  1. idiomaticno pluralThe place where one begins; a lack of progress.

    We discovered that our first idea would never work, so we were back to square one.

Translations

Finnish lähtöruutu
  • lähtöruututhe place where one begins
French case départ
  • case départthe place where one begins
Hungarian kiindulópont, startvonal
  • kiindulópontthe place where one begins
  • startvonalthe place where one begins
  • kályhathe place where one begins
  • ahol a part szakadthe place where one begins
Polish początek, punkt wyjścia
  • początekthe place where one begins
  • punkt wyjściathe place where one begins
Portuguese estaca zero
  • estaca zerothe place where one begins
Spanish casilla de salida, redil
  • casilla de salidathe place where one begins
  • redilthe place where one begins
Cite this entry
APA

square one. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/square%20one

MLA

“square one.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/square%20one. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “square one,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/square%20one.

Source: square one on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.