Plaza vs. Square: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
A plaza is an open public space, often surrounded by buildings and streets, used for gathering and events, while a square is a broad, open area, typically in a city, often rectangular or square in shape, serving as a meeting point.
Key Differences
A plaza is an open public space, often spacious and adorned with artistic features or landscaping. Squares, typically found in urban settings, are usually more formally structured, often rectangular or square in shape.
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Nov 25, 2023
Plazas are commonly used for public gatherings, celebrations, and cultural events. Squares often serve as central points in a city, holding historical significance and serving as focal points for community activities.
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Plazas are frequently surrounded by significant buildings, roads, and sometimes incorporate elements of the surrounding architecture. Squares are often centrally located in a city, bordered by important civic buildings or commercial areas.
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Plazas are designed for various purposes, including social gatherings, markets, or simply as open spaces in urban areas. Squares often function as town centers, hosting markets, public speeches, and other community events.
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The concept of a plaza has evolved over time, influenced by various cultures and architectural styles. The square has its roots in ancient times, often planned as an integral part of a city's layout.
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Nov 25, 2023
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Comparison Chart
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Plaza and Square Definitions
Plaza
Plazas serve as gathering spots for social events.
The plaza was bustling with the weekly farmer's market.
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Square
Many squares hold historical significance.
The old square is a reminder of the city's past.
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Plaza
Plazas are venues for cultural activities.
Outdoor concerts are frequently held in the main plaza.
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Plaza
A plaza is an open public area in a city.
The new shopping center features a beautifully landscaped plaza.
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Plaza
Plazas often enhance architectural beauty.
The museum's entrance is adorned by a spacious plaza.
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Square
A T-shaped or L-shaped instrument for drawing or testing right angles.
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Square
(Mathematics) The product obtained when a number or quantity is multiplied by itself
49 is the square of 7.
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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.
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Square
A rectangular space enclosed by streets and occupied by buildings; a block.
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Square
The flower bud of a cotton plant, with three bracts surrounding the unopened flower in a pyramidal structure.
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Plaza
An open area used for gathering in a city, often having small trees and sitting benches.
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Square
(Slang) A person who is regarded as dull, rigidly conventional, and out of touch with current trends.
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Square
In alignment or flush
Put the paper square with the edge of the desk.
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Plaza
A public square with room for pedestrians;
They met at Elm Plaza
Grosvenor Place
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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
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Square
Having a specified length in each of two equal dimensions
A room that is 12 feet square.
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Plaza
A plaza is a characteristic feature in urban design.
The city's central plaza is a popular tourist attraction.
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Square
(Nautical) Set at right angles to the mast and keel. Used of the yards of a square-rigged ship.
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Square
Approximately rectangular and equilateral in cross section
A square house.
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Square
Having all accounts settled; even
I paid what I owed you, so we're square.
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Square
To test or adjust for conformity to a desired plane, straight line, or right angle.
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Square
To bring into conformity or agreement
She could not square the request with her principles.
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Square
To bring (oneself) into a better position or relation
He tried to square himself with his parents.
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Square
(Informal) To bribe or fix
A party in litigation that tried to square the judge.
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Square
(geometry) A polygon with four sides of equal length and four right angles; an equilateral rectangle; a regular quadrilateral.
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Square
A cell in a grid.
You may not move a piece to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces.
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Square
The front of a woman's dress over the bosom, usually worked or embroidered.
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Square
(North America) A dessert cut into rectangular pieces, or a piece of such a dessert.
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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
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Square
An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles.
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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.
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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.
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Square
(military formation) A body of troops drawn up in a square formation.
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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!
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Square
(British) The symbol # on a telephone; hash.
Enter your account number followed by a square.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Square
Senseid|en|square meal elliptically}} {{ellipsis of square meal
Even when times were tough, we got three squares a day.
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Square
(archaic) Exact proportion; justness of workmanship and conduct; regularity; rule.
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Square
(astrology) The position of planets distant ninety degrees from each other; a quadrate.
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Square
A well-defined core of a human body, a flat section from the fundament to the thoracic diaphragm.
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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.
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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.
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Square
Used in the names of units of area formed by multiplying a unit of length by itself.
Square metre
Square mile
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Square
Honest; straightforward; fair.
I'm just looking for a square deal on my car repair.
Square dealing
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Square
Even; tied
To make or leave the accounts square
The sides were square at the end of the half.
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Square
Solid, decent, substantial.
It may be prison, but at least I'm getting three square meals a day.
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Square
Having a shape broad for the height, with angular rather than curving outlines.
A man of a square frame
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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.
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Square
(nautical) To place at a right angle to the mast or keel.
To square the yards
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Square
(rowing) To rotate the oars so that they are perpendicular to the water.
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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.
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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
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Square
Of a value, term, or expression, to multiply by itself; to raise to the second power.
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Square
To draw, with a pair of compasses and a straightedge only, a square with the same area as.
Square the circle
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Square
(obsolete) To go to opposite sides; to take an attitude of offense or defense, or of defiance; to quarrel.
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Square
To form with right angles and straight lines, or flat surfaces.
To square mason's work
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Square
Hence, anything which is square, or nearly so
He bolted his food down his capacious throat in squares of three inches.
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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.
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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.
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Square
The product of a number or quantity multiplied by itself; thus, 64 is the square of 8, for 8
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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.
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Square
A body of troops formed in a square, esp. one formed to resist a charge of cavalry; a squadron.
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Square
Fig.: The relation of harmony, or exact agreement; equality; level.
We live not on the square with such as these.
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Square
The position of planets distant ninety degrees from each other; a quadrate.
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Square
The front of a woman's dress over the bosom, usually worked or embroidered.
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Square
Having a shape broad for the height, with rectilineal and angular rather than curving outlines; as, a man of a square frame.
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Square
Exactly suitable or correspondent; true; just.
She's a most triumphant lady, if report be square to her.
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Square
Leaving nothing; hearty; vigorous.
By Heaven, square eaters.More meat, I say.
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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.
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Square
To form with right angles and straight lines, or flat surfaces; as, to square masons' work.
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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.
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Square
To make even, so as to leave no remainder or difference; to balance; as, to square accounts.
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Square
To hold a quartile position respecting.
The icy Goat and Crab that square the Scales.
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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.
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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?
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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
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Square
The product of two equal terms;
Nine is the second power of three
Gravity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance
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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
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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
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Square
Having four equal sides and four right angles or forming a right angle;
A square peg in a round hole
A square corner
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Square
Characterized by honesty and fairness;
A square deal
Wanted to do the square thing
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Square
Without evasion or compromise;
A square contradiction
He is not being as straightforward as it appears
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Square
In a straight direct way;
Looked him squarely in the eye
Ran square into me
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Square
With honesty and fairness;
Dealt squarely with his customers
Always treated me square
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Square
In a square shape;
A squarely cut piece of paper
Folded the sheet of paper square
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Square
Firmly and solidly;
Hit the ball squarely
The bat met the ball squarely
Planted his great bulk square before his enemy
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Square
A square is often the central point of a city.
The town square was decorated for the holiday season.
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Square
Squares are open areas in urban settings.
Children were playing in the neighborhood square.
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Square
Squares serve as common meeting points.
Let's meet at the city square at noon.
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Square
Squares are typically square or rectangular.
The central square is perfectly square in shape.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
What defines a plaza?
A plaza is an open public space, often used for social and cultural activities.
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Are plazas always large?
Plazas vary in size but are generally spacious for gatherings.
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What activities occur in a plaza?
Markets, social events, and cultural activities often take place in plazas.
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Nov 25, 2023
Do squares serve a practical purpose?
Yes, squares often host markets, public events, and are meeting points.
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What is the significance of a square in a city?
Squares often hold historical and civic significance, serving as town centers.
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Nov 25, 2023
Are plazas designed for specific purposes?
Yes, plazas are designed for various purposes, from leisure to cultural events.
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Nov 25, 2023
What is a square?
A square is an open area in a city, typically central and geometrically shaped.
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Can squares be found in small towns?
Yes, squares are common in both cities and small towns.
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Do squares have to be square in shape?
Not always, but they are often square or rectangular.
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How do plazas contribute to urban design?
Plazas enhance urban landscapes with open space and architectural elements.
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Are squares typically surrounded by buildings?
Yes, squares are usually bordered by buildings or notable landmarks.
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How do plazas affect community life?
Plazas play a significant role in community life by providing gathering spaces.
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Do plazas have historical value?
Some plazas have historical value, depending on their location and past events.
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Can a plaza be part of a square?
In some city layouts, a plaza can be part of or adjacent to a square.
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Is landscaping a common feature in plazas?
Yes, plazas often include landscaping and artistic elements.
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Are squares important for city planning?
Yes, squares are integral to city planning, providing open space and structure.
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Do squares have a standard size?
There is no standard size; squares vary greatly in dimensions.
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What architectural styles are seen in squares?
Squares often feature formal, structured architectural styles.
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Are plazas always open to the public?
Most plazas are public spaces, but some may have restricted access.
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Nov 25, 2023
Can a square have multiple functions?
Yes, squares can serve various functions, from social to commercial.
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Nov 25, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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