<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>an unofficial title of respect, having no precise significance, sometimes placed, especially in its abbreviated form, after a man's surname in formal written address: in the U.S., usually applied to lawyers, women as well as men; in Britain, applied to a commoner considered to have gained the social position of a gentleman.</li><li>a man belonging to the order of English gentry ranking next below a knight.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>to raise to the rank of esquire.</li><li>to address as “Esquire.”</li><li>to escort or attend in public.</li></ul>