square bracket

[ skwair brak-it ]

noun

1. Printing. one of two marks [ or ] used in writing or printing to enclose parenthetical matter, interpolations, etc. Compare curly bracket ( def ).

square bracket

noun

1. either of a pair of characters [ ], used to enclose a section of writing or printing to separate it from the main text
2. Also calledbracket either of these characters used as a sign of aggregation in mathematical or logical expressions indicating that the expression contained in the brackets is to be evaluated first and treated as a unit in the evaluation of the whole

Word History and Origins

Origin of square bracket¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

A proposed draft agreement circulated early Saturday had more than 200 square brackets, meaning large sections were still unresolved.

From Seattle Times

The latest draft deal from November contained 26 pairs of square brackets indicating unresolved areas.

From Reuters

A draft text yet to be formalised showed a large portion of the framework's 21 targets still in square brackets, indicating a lack of formal agreement.

From Reuters

Negotiators were arguing overnight over 'square brackets' that marked unresolved and impenetrable points in a text that was never destined to leave much of a trace.

From BBC

The text of a new draft released last month contains spaces in square brackets, ready to be filled in when more-quantitative measures are agreed.

From Nature