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Glite Dictionary
💵 To pay or settle 📏 To make even
to square up

to square up

3 4.7
Pay someone what you owe or agree to end a disagreement
  • phrasal verb
  • /skwɛr ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : saldar
  • She promised to square up the payment with me by the end of the week.
  • square things up

Examples

  • So I want to square up to someone, start beef, have the whole thing hate you.

  • Before we can move forward, we need to square up everything regarding the budget.

  • So I want to square up to someone, start beef, have the whole thing hate you.

  • You finish up here, I'll go square up inside.

    The Birth of a Nation (2016)

  • She'll bring it, we'll square it up later.

    The Living (2014)

  • LORI: We'll square up when you get back, okay?

    The Meg (2018)

  • Because when you start yelling and screaming, that's exactly when they're going to square up and say what is wrong with you.

  • Because when you start yelling and screaming, that's exactly when they're going to square up and say what is wrong with you.

  • After the game, I stopped by to square up with my teammates about the expenses.

Synonyms

to settle
vsto square up
596 3.3

To end an argument by agreement or decision

also includes paying money to clear a debt and not only ending disputes
to cut a deal
vsto square up
  • Informal
94 3.5

Make an agreement after talking, often in business or politics

tends to imply bargaining in specific domains and not clearing debts directly
to settle with
vsto square up
22 4.1

To reach an agreement with someone to end a dispute

also involves paying money to clear a debt rather than only making agreements
to strike a deal
vsto square up
20 3.4

To agree with someone after talking about the details

often implies negotiated compromise rather than paying a debt
to square off
vsto square up
8 4.9

To reach an agreement to end a disagreement

can mean coming to terms but is less focused on finality
to square with
vsto square up
  • Informal
3 6.7

To pay someone all the money you owe them

also covers resolving disputes and making agreements not only payment
to settle a disagreement
vsto square up
1 3.1

Make people or groups agree after an argument

also covers paying money to resolve debts as well as ending disputes
to squash the beef
vsto square up
  • Slang
1 9.4

To end an argument and become friendly again

is neutral and applies to formal agreements and debt payment as well

Antonyms

to disagree
∞ 1.0

Have a different opinion from someone

How Settled

to square up
  • Informal
3 4.7
to settle
596 3.3
to resolve
623 3.3
to agree
∞ 1.0
to negotiate
  • Formal
801 3.7
to discuss
∞ 1.6

Surface Forms

square up infinitive
squared up past
squared up past participle
squaring up present participle
squares up third person singular

Morphology

square + up

There is a clear morphological link: 'square' can mean to make even or settle (as in 'square accounts') and the particle 'up' adds a sense of completion, so the idea of 'making things even' maps onto 'settling a debt or dispute.' However, the specific pragmatic meaning 'settle a debt/dispute' is a conventionalized extension that a B1 learner who only knows the literal senses may not automatically infer without some exposure; cross-linguistic equivalents (e.g. 'ajustar cuentas') make this partially recognizable but not fully predictable.

Etymology

Square up comes from old shopkeepers who would make their accounts a proper square to bring both sides even. Imagine writing numbers until the money paid and owed matched and the books looked tidy. That's why square up means 'to settle a debt or dispute'.