The definition of a square is a plane figure with four equal straight sides and four right angles. The definition of a rectangle is a plane figure with four right sides and four right angles. To be a rectangle you just need four straight sides and four right angles, but to be a square all those sides have to be equal. Therefore, a square is a rectangle because it has four straight sides and four right angles, but a rectangle isn't a square (or not always) because it doesn't have four equal straight sides.