Ask Difference

Plaza vs. Square — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 13, 2023
Plaza is an open public area often featuring shopping or dining. Square is a public open space typically in a city's downtown, often encased by shops and offices.
Plaza vs. Square — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Plaza and Square

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Key Differences

Plaza often conveys a sense of a modern meeting place. Square typically denotes an area that is surrounded by buildings, perhaps with historical significance.
Plazas are often associated with leisure and shopping. Squares might be more commonly utilized for public gatherings and events.
A plaza might feature a variety of amenities like benches, fountains, or art installations. Squares might offer a more open space, potentially used for markets or public speeches.
Plazas may be found within shopping centers or adjacent to malls. Squares are often situated in the central parts of towns or cities.
While a plaza can be part of a commercial complex, a square is usually an independent space, often having a rich historical context.
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Comparison Chart

Grammatical Gender

Neutral
Neutral

Syllable Count

2 (Pla-za)
1 (Square)

Part of Speech

Noun
Noun/Adjective

Origin

Spanish
English/French

Typical Usage

Modern contexts
Both historical and modern contexts

Compare with Definitions

Plaza

A transportation stop or terminal.
The bus plaza was busy with commuters.

Square

A geometric shape with four equal sides.
Draw a square using the ruler.

Plaza

A forecourt or approach to a building.
The corporate building had a decorative plaza at its entrance.

Square

A term in mathematics (e.g., "to square a number").
If you square 4, you get 16.

Plaza

A shopping complex or commercial center.
The new plaza has a variety of trendy shops and restaurants.

Square

In geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, or 100-gradian angles or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle in which two adjacent sides have equal length.

Plaza

A meeting place or a venue for public gatherings.
The protest was held at the central plaza.

Square

A plane figure with four equal straight sides and four right angles
A grid of ruled squares

Plaza

An open public space in a city.
We spent the afternoon leisurely at the city plaza.

Square

An open, typically four-sided, area surrounded by buildings in a village, town, or city
A market square
Leicester Square

Plaza

A public square or similar open area in a town or city.

Square

The product of a number multiplied by itself
A circle's area is proportional to the square of its radius

Plaza

A widened roadway forming the approach to tollbooths on a highway.

Square

An L-shaped or T-shaped instrument used for obtaining or testing right angles
A carpenter's square

Plaza

A parking or service area next to a highway.

Square

A person considered to be old-fashioned or boringly conventional in attitude or behaviour
Reg is such a square

Plaza

A shopping center.

Square

A square meal
Three squares a day

Plaza

A town's public square.

Square

Having the shape or approximate shape of a square
A square table

Plaza

An open area used for gathering in a city, often having small trees and sitting benches.

Square

Denoting a unit of measurement equal to the area of a square whose side is of the unit specified
30,000 square feet of new gallery space

Plaza

(North America) A strip mall.

Square

At right angles; perpendicular
These lines must be square to the top and bottom marked edges

Plaza

A shopping mall.

Square

Level or parallel
Place two pieces of wood one on top of the other, ensuring that they are exactly square

Plaza

A public square in a city or town.

Square

(of two people) owing nothing to each other
An acknowledgement that we are square

Plaza

A public square with room for pedestrians;
They met at Elm Plaza
Grosvenor Place

Square

Old-fashioned or boringly conventional
Elvis was anything but square

Plaza

Mercantile establishment consisting of a carefully landscaped complex of shops representing leading merchandisers; usually includes restaurants and a convenient parking area; a modern version of the traditional marketplace;
A good plaza should have a movie house
They spent their weekends at the local malls

Square

(of rhythm) simple and straightforward.

Square

Directly; straight
The ball hit me square in the forehead

Square

In a direction transversely across the field or pitch
The ball bounced almost square to the left

Square

Make square or rectangular; give a square or rectangular cross section to
You can square off the other edge

Square

Multiply (a number) by itself
5 squared equals 25

Square

Make compatible; reconcile
I'm able to square my profession with my religious beliefs

Square

Balance (an account)
Institutions are anxious to square their books before the election

Square

Bring (one's shoulders) into a position in which they appear square and broad, typically to prepare oneself for a difficult task or event
Chin up, shoulders squared, she stepped into the room

Square

Secure the help or acquiescence of (someone), especially by offering an inducement
Trying to square the press

Square

Pass (a ball) across the field, especially towards the centre.

Square

Set (a yard or other part of a ship) at right angles to the keel or other point of reference.

Square

(of a planet) have a square aspect with (another planet or position)
Saturn squares the Sun on the 17th

Square

A polygon having four equal sides and four equal angles.

Square

Something having an equal-sided rectangular form
A square of cloth.

Square

A T-shaped or L-shaped instrument for drawing or testing right angles.

Square

(Mathematics) The product obtained when a number or quantity is multiplied by itself
49 is the square of 7.

Square

(Games) Any of the quadrilateral spaces on a board, as in chess.

Square

Abbr. Sq. An open, usually four-sided area at the intersection of two or more streets, often planted with grass and trees for use as a park.

Square

A rectangular space enclosed by streets and occupied by buildings; a block.

Square

The flower bud of a cotton plant, with three bracts surrounding the unopened flower in a pyramidal structure.

Square

(Slang) A person who is regarded as dull, rigidly conventional, and out of touch with current trends.

Square

Having four equal sides and four right angles.

Square

Forming a right angle.

Square

In alignment or flush
Put the paper square with the edge of the desk.

Square

Abbr. sq. Expressed in units measuring area
Square feet.

Square

Having a specified length in each of two equal dimensions
A room that is 12 feet square.

Square

Having a base that is a square
A square pyramid.

Square

(Nautical) Set at right angles to the mast and keel. Used of the yards of a square-rigged ship.

Square

Approximately rectangular and equilateral in cross section
A square house.

Square

Characterized by blocklike solidity or sturdiness.

Square

Honest; direct
A square answer.

Square

Just; equitable
A square deal.

Square

Having all accounts settled; even
I paid what I owed you, so we're square.

Square

(Sports) Even; tied.

Square

(Slang) Rigidly conventional; dull.

Square

To cut to a square or rectangular shape. Often used with off.

Square

To test or adjust for conformity to a desired plane, straight line, or right angle.

Square

To mark into squares. Often used with off.

Square

To bring into conformity or agreement
She could not square the request with her principles.

Square

To bring (oneself) into a better position or relation
He tried to square himself with his parents.

Square

To set straight or at approximate right angles
Square one's cap.

Square

To bring into balance; settle
Square a debt.

Square

(Sports) To even the score of
To square a game.

Square

To raise (a number or quantity) to the second power.

Square

To find a square equal in area to (the area of a given figure).

Square

(Informal) To bribe or fix
A party in litigation that tried to square the judge.

Square

(Mathematics) To be at right angles.

Square

To agree or conform
A story that doesn't square with the facts.

Square

(Mathematics) At right angles.

Square

In a square shape.

Square

In a solid manner; firmly.

Square

Directly; straight
Ran square into each other.

Square

In an honest, straightforward manner.

Square

(geometry) A polygon with four sides of equal length and four right angles; an equilateral rectangle; a regular quadrilateral.

Square

Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form.

Square

A cell in a grid.
You may not move a piece to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces.

Square

A square piece, part, or surface.
A square of glass

Square

The front of a woman's dress over the bosom, usually worked or embroidered.

Square

(North America) A dessert cut into rectangular pieces, or a piece of such a dessert.

Square

(printing) A certain number of lines, forming a portion of a column, nearly square; used chiefly in reckoning the prices of advertisements in newspapers.
Column inch

Square

An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles.

Square

A true measure, standard, or pattern.

Square

An open space or park, often in the center of a town, not necessarily square in shape, often containing trees, seating and other features pleasing to the eye.

Square

A street surrounding a public square or plaza.

Square

(mathematics) The product of a number or quantity multiplied by itself; the second power of a number, value, term or expression.
64 is the square of 8.

Square

(military formation) A body of troops drawn up in a square formation.

Square

A socially conventional or conservative person; a person who has little or no interest in the latest fads or trends: still sometimes used in modern terminology.
Why do you always wear a tie? Don't be such a square!

Square

(British) The symbol # on a telephone; hash.
Enter your account number followed by a square.

Square

(cricket) The central area of a cricket field, with one or more pitches of which only one is used at a time.
An ideal playing area is roughly circular in shape with a central area, the cricket square, measuring 27.44 metres by 27.44 metres and boundaries 45.75 metres from the sides of the square.

Square

(real estate) A unit of measurement of area, equal to a 10 foot by 10 foot square, i.e. 100 square feet or roughly 9.3 square metres. Used in real estate for the size of a house or its rooms, though progressively being replaced by square metres in metric countries such as Australia.

Square

(roofing) A unit used in measuring roof area equivalent to 100 square feet (9.29 m²) of roof area. The materials for roofing jobs are often billed by the square in the United States.

Square

(academia) A mortarboard.

Square

Senseid|en|square meal elliptically}} {{ellipsis of square meal
Even when times were tough, we got three squares a day.

Square

(archaic) Exact proportion; justness of workmanship and conduct; regularity; rule.

Square

The relation of harmony, or exact agreement; equality; level.

Square

(astrology) The position of planets distant ninety degrees from each other; a quadrate.

Square

(dated) The act of squaring, or quarrelling; a quarrel.

Square

(slang) Cigarette.

Square

(brewing) A vat used for fermentation.

Square

A well-defined core of a human body, a flat section from the fundament to the thoracic diaphragm.

Square

Shaped like a square the polygon.

Square

Forming a right angle (90°).
A square corner

Square

(of box-shaped objects such as buildings or metal frames) Forming right angles in all planes as intended; not rack or leaning.
The foundation has to be level and the framing has to be square.

Square

(nautical) Forming right angles with the mast or the keel, and parallel to the horizon; said of the yards of a square-rigged vessel when they are so braced.

Square

Used in the names of units of area formed by multiplying a unit of length by itself.
Square metre
Square mile

Square

Honest; straightforward; fair.
I'm just looking for a square deal on my car repair.
Square dealing

Square

Satisfied; comfortable with; not experiencing any conflict.

Square

Even; tied
To make or leave the accounts square
The sides were square at the end of the half.

Square

Socially conventional; boring.

Square

(cricket) In line with the batsman's popping crease.

Square

Solid, decent, substantial.
It may be prison, but at least I'm getting three square meals a day.

Square

Having a shape broad for the height, with angular rather than curving outlines.
A man of a square frame

Square

Directly.

Square

(transitive) To adjust so as to align with or place at a right angle to something else; in particular:
The casting was mounted on a milling machine so that its sides could be squared.

Square

(nautical) To place at a right angle to the mast or keel.
To square the yards

Square

(rowing) To rotate the oars so that they are perpendicular to the water.

Square

(ambitransitive) To resolve or reconcile; to suit or fit.
John can square this question up for us.
These results just don't square with what we expected.

Square

(transitive) To adjust or adapt so as to bring into harmony with something.
I cannot square the results of the experiment with my hypothesis.
To square our actions by the opinions of others

Square

Of a value, term, or expression, to multiply by itself; to raise to the second power.

Square

To draw, with a pair of compasses and a straightedge only, a square with the same area as.
Square the circle

Square

To tile (completely fill) with squares.

Square

(soccer) To make a short low pass sideways across the pitch

Square

(archaic) To take opposing sides; to quarrel.

Square

To accord or agree exactly; to be consistent with; to suit; to fit.

Square

(obsolete) To go to opposite sides; to take an attitude of offense or defense, or of defiance; to quarrel.

Square

To take a boxing attitude; often with up or off.

Square

To form with four sides and four right angles.

Square

To form with right angles and straight lines, or flat surfaces.
To square mason's work

Square

To compare with, or reduce to, any given measure or standard.

Square

(astrology) To hold a quartile position respecting.

Square

The corner, or angle, of a figure.

Square

Hence, anything which is square, or nearly so
He bolted his food down his capacious throat in squares of three inches.

Square

A pane of glass.

Square

An area of four sides, generally with houses on each side; sometimes, a solid block of houses; also, an open place or area for public use, as at the meeting or intersection of two or more streets.
The statue of Alexander VII. stands in the large square of the town.

Square

An instrument having at least one right angle and two or more straight edges, used to lay out or test square work. It is of several forms, as the T square, the carpenter's square, the try-square., etc.

Square

Hence, a pattern or rule.

Square

The product of a number or quantity multiplied by itself; thus, 64 is the square of 8, for 8

Square

Exact proportion; justness of workmanship and conduct; regularity; rule.
They of Galatia [were] much more out of square.
I have not kept my square.

Square

A body of troops formed in a square, esp. one formed to resist a charge of cavalry; a squadron.

Square

Fig.: The relation of harmony, or exact agreement; equality; level.
We live not on the square with such as these.

Square

The position of planets distant ninety degrees from each other; a quadrate.

Square

The act of squaring, or quarreling; a quarrel.

Square

The front of a woman's dress over the bosom, usually worked or embroidered.

Square

Having four equal sides and four right angles; as, a square figure.

Square

Forming a right angle; as, a square corner.

Square

Having a shape broad for the height, with rectilineal and angular rather than curving outlines; as, a man of a square frame.

Square

Exactly suitable or correspondent; true; just.
She's a most triumphant lady, if report be square to her.

Square

Rendering equal justice; exact; fair; honest; as, square dealing.

Square

Even; leaving no balance; as, to make or leave the accounts square.

Square

Leaving nothing; hearty; vigorous.
By Heaven, square eaters.More meat, I say.

Square

At right angles with the mast or the keel, and parallel to the horizon; - said of the yards of a square-rigged vessel when they are so braced.

Square

To form with four equal sides and four right angles.

Square

To form with right angles and straight lines, or flat surfaces; as, to square masons' work.

Square

To compare with, or reduce to, any given measure or standard.

Square

To adjust; to regulate; to mold; to shape; to fit; as, to square our actions by the opinions of others.
Square my trialTo my proportioned strength.

Square

To make even, so as to leave no remainder or difference; to balance; as, to square accounts.

Square

To multiply by itself; as, to square a number or a quantity.

Square

To hold a quartile position respecting.
The icy Goat and Crab that square the Scales.

Square

To place at right angles with the keel; as, to square the yards.

Square

To accord or agree exactly; to be consistent with; to conform or agree; to suit; to fit.
No works shall find acceptance . . .That square not truly with the Scripture plan.

Square

To go to opposite sides; to take an attitude of offense or defense, or of defiance; to quarrel.
Are you such foolsTo square for this?

Square

To take a boxing attitude; - often with up, sometimes with off.

Square

(geometry) a plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles; a four-sided regular polygon;
You can compute the area of a square if you know the length of its sides

Square

The product of two equal terms;
Nine is the second power of three
Gravity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance

Square

An open area at the meeting of two or more streets

Square

Something approximating the shape of a square

Square

Someone who doesn't understand what is going on

Square

A formal and conservative person with old-fashioned views

Square

Any artifact having a shape similar to a plane geometric figure with four equal sides and four right angles;
A checkerboard has 64 squares

Square

A hand tool consisting of two straight arms at right angles; used to construct or test right angles;
The carpenter who built this room must have lost his square

Square

Raise to the second power

Square

Make square;
Square the circle
Square the wood with a file

Square

Cause to match, as of ideas or acts

Square

Position so as to be square;
He squared his shoulders

Square

Be compatible with;
One idea squares with another

Square

Pay someone and settle a debt;
I squared with him

Square

Turn the paddle; in canoeing

Square

Turn the oar, while rowing

Square

Having four equal sides and four right angles or forming a right angle;
A square peg in a round hole
A square corner

Square

Leaving no balance;
My account with you is now all square

Square

Characterized by honesty and fairness;
A square deal
Wanted to do the square thing

Square

Without evasion or compromise;
A square contradiction
He is not being as straightforward as it appears

Square

Rigidly conventional or old-fashioned

Square

In a straight direct way;
Looked him squarely in the eye
Ran square into me

Square

With honesty and fairness;
Dealt squarely with his customers
Always treated me square

Square

In a square shape;
A squarely cut piece of paper
Folded the sheet of paper square

Square

Firmly and solidly;
Hit the ball squarely
The bat met the ball squarely
Planted his great bulk square before his enemy

Square

An open area or space in a town, often rectangular.
We walked across the town square.

Square

To make something conform or agree.
He couldn’t square his actions with his beliefs.

Square

Honest, straightforward (informal).
She is known for being square in her dealings.

Common Curiosities

How to pronounce Plaza?

PLA-zuh.

How to pronounce Square?

Squ-air.

Does Square only refer to a public space?

No, Square can also refer to a geometric shape and other meanings.

Can Plaza refer to a shopping center?

Yes, Plaza often refers to a shopping area or commercial center.

Can Square indicate honesty in informal English?

Yes, like in the phrase "a square deal."

Can Plaza be used in the context of transportation?

Yes, it can refer to a transportation terminal or stop.

Does Plaza always refer to urban settings?

Predominantly, but it can be used in other contexts with similar functionalities.

Are all Plazas public spaces?

Most are, but some may be part of private complexes.

Is Plaza of Spanish origin?

Yes, Plaza is derived from the Spanish language.

Is Square always related to historical contexts?

Not always, but it’s commonly used to describe historically significant public spaces.

Can a Plaza be indoors?

Yes, Plazas can be found within larger structures like malls.

Can Square refer to a mathematical operation?

Yes, like squaring a number.

Is a Square always a public meeting spot?

Typically, but not exclusively.

Can a Square be used for markets?

Yes, Squares are often used for public markets.

Are Plazas and Squares similar?

They share similarities but have distinct historical and contextual differences.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.

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