as in day one
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Recent Examples of square one
Each arc, several episodes long, ends with the main character, Keiichi, suffering one gruesome fate after another before the show’s timeline resets and we are delivered back to square one with a new arc and new horrors and trials for Keiichi to face.
—
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Instead, the Mets are back to square one, pondering a new kind of disappointment.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
That’s if Subramanian doesn’t toss the whole thing or send it back to square one, an unlikely possibility but still a possibility.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Because the construction documents were included with the purchase of the land and building permits had in fact already been granted by the city based on that initial scheme, the new owners were understandably reluctant to start over again from square one.
—Kyle Hoepner, Architectural Digest, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for square one
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Instead, the Mets are back to square one, pondering a new kind of disappointment.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
That’s if Subramanian doesn’t toss the whole thing or send it back to square one, an unlikely possibility but still a possibility.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025
Because the construction documents were included with the purchase of the land and building permits had in fact already been granted by the city based on that initial scheme, the new owners were understandably reluctant to start over again from square one.
—Kyle Hoepner, Architectural Digest, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for square one
Recent Examples of Synonyms for square one
Noun
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Big names like Washington’s Bobby Wagner, New Orleans’ Demario Davis, Green Bay’s Quay Walker and Cleveland’s Devin Bush are durable, effective leaders in the middle who would provide day one efficiency.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
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Now, that’s evolved into Xbox putting nearly all of its first-party games on rival systems like Switch and especially PlayStation, either on day one or after an unknown amount of time.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Compare that to the F-35 Lightning II, which took over 13 years to go from drawing board to first flight.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Dec. 2025
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After trying all three, stick with the one that worked best for you (or go back to drawing board).—
Larry Olmsted,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There have been moments when Landfair contemplated moving away from Chicago, putting physical distance between a city that still openly supports Kelly and is ground zero for some of her most painful memories.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
31 Jan. 2026
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Assemblymember Heather Hadwick — a Republican who represents El Dorado, as well as Lake Tahoe, which is ground zero for bear problems — called conflicts with predators her district’s biggest issue.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That’s been around since the beginning of time.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Banfield's at-times tense testimony comes after his attorney scrutinized the county's investigation into the defendant, arguing that officials, almost since the beginning, forced a theory that the husband had catfished and killed his wife, and ignored evidence that undermined that conclusion.—
OLIVIA DIAZ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The slugger will play first base.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
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His ability to play third and first base also gives them important depth.—
Jim Bowden,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Square one.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/square%20one. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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