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
Tom Crosby2
: 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
Lisa Miller… using legal action to cow an opponent into silence, and withdrawal from the public square.—Mark Steyn
Mark SteynExamples of public square in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In any case, Morsi did not have the means to resist Sisi’s coup, as demonstrated by the overwhelmingly peaceful and completely futile reaction of Morsi’s supporters, nearly one thousand of whom were massacred by the army after occupying a public square in Cairo.
—Olivier Roy, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2017
Believers ward off the malevolent spirits by making as much noise as possible, thronging public squares to a thunderous soundtrack of singing and drumming.
—Ashlea Halpern, TIME, 25 July 2024
Join them, and take in a handful of key attractions at this sizable public square.
—Samia Qaiyum, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 July 2024
At the same time, the broad and widespread Black Lives Matter protests that have filled streets and public squares in cities and towns across the country since the spring are forcing unprecedented numbers of Americans to confront their country’s shameful history of racial inequality.
—Suzanne Mettler, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2020
See all Example Sentences for public square 
Olivier Roy, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2017
Believers ward off the malevolent spirits by making as much noise as possible, thronging public squares to a thunderous soundtrack of singing and drumming.
—Ashlea Halpern, TIME, 25 July 2024
Join them, and take in a handful of key attractions at this sizable public square.
—Samia Qaiyum, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 July 2024
At the same time, the broad and widespread Black Lives Matter protests that have filled streets and public squares in cities and towns across the country since the spring are forcing unprecedented numbers of Americans to confront their country’s shameful history of racial inequality.
—Suzanne Mettler, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2020
See all Example Sentences for public square
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'public square.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Public square.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20square. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
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