public square

noun

1

: an open public area in a city or town where people gather

St. Mark's Square in Venice is sinking at a time when this Italian city's popularity is rising. The world's most famous public square now floods an average of three out of every five days.

—Tom Crosby

2

: the sphere of public opinion

In an August 2007 speech, then-New York governor Eliot Spitzer expounded upon Reinhold Niebuhr and the virtues of humility in the public square.

—Lisa Miller

… using legal action to cow an opponent into silence, and withdrawal from the public square.

—Mark Steyn

Examples of public square in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Essentially, production roped off a public square, painted a yellow brick road on the ground, and dressed up former Bachelor contestants Kelsey and Daisy as very loose approximations of Elphaba and Galinda. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 13 Aug. 2024

Essentially, the forum was a multipurpose public square or open area usually found in a central location. —Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

For its tony historic vibe, primo location on the city's landmark public square, and superlative service, The Rittenhouse is a perennial favorite that has long drawn discerning visitors seeking reliable luxury. —Osayi Endolyn, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Aug. 2024

Perhaps law enforcement officials imagined that the Internet’s public square is a messy democratic free-for-all that caters to the fringes of society but whose online screeds don’t metastasize into offline violence. —Nina Jankowicz, Foreign Affairs, 12 Jan. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined at sense 1