Square One definition

Square One

Topics Square One Definition

WordNet

(1) The situation in which you begin an endeavor and to which you return if your efforts fail

"The police are now back at square one after having arrested and released 27 men"

"She has tried to diet but always ends up back at square one"

WiktionaryText

square one

the place where one begins; a lack of progress

We discovered that our first idea would never work, so we were back to square one.