public square
noun
1
: an open public area in a city or town where people gather
St. Mark's Square in Venice is sinking at a time when this Italian city's popularity is rising. The world's most famous public square now floods an average of three out of every five days.—
Tom Crosby
Tom CrosbyMexico City's Zócalo … is the country's main public square and the second largest in the world after Tiananmen Square in Beijing.—Natalia Cano
Natalia Cano2
: the sphere of public opinion
In an August 2007 speech, then-New York governor Eliot Spitzer expounded upon Reinhold Niebuhr and the virtues of humility in the public square.—Lisa Miller
Lisa Miller… using legal action to cow an opponent into silence, and withdrawal from the public square.—Mark Steyn
Mark SteynExamples of public square in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The announcement follows the Mexico leg of the tour, where Shakira drew 400,000 fans to a free concert at Mexico City’s Zócalo on March 1 — the largest crowd ever recorded in the city’s main public square, according to officials.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
Dubbed Place des Montréalaises, the project transforms a sunken highway into a vibrant public square.
—New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026
But if book fairs are the engine room of publishing, festivals are its public square.
—Julie Finch, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Art can take over public spaces, transforming them into a public square that intersects all dimensions of society.
—Jane M. Saks, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for public square
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.
Jem Aswad, Variety, 1 Apr. 2026
Dubbed Place des Montréalaises, the project transforms a sunken highway into a vibrant public square.
—New Atlas, 28 Mar. 2026
But if book fairs are the engine room of publishing, festivals are its public square.
—Julie Finch, Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Art can take over public spaces, transforming them into a public square that intersects all dimensions of society.
—Jane M. Saks, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for public square
Cite this Entry
“Public square.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20square. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
