crossword

noun

cross·​word ˈkrȯs-ˌwərd How to pronounce crossword (audio)
: a puzzle in which words are filled into a pattern of numbered squares in answer to correspondingly numbered clues and in such a way that the words read across and down

Examples of crossword in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Los Angeles Times crossword Today’s crossword (McMeel) Daily Commuter crossword SUDOKU Play the USA TODAY Sudoku Game. USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 In today’s crossword, Trent H. Evans gives us the runaround, using a distinctive theme style. Sam Corbin, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024 While the Times sometimes has a nod to current events in its other games, such as the crossword, there’s more context overall. Saira Mueller, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 But Shechtman, who previously worked as an assistant to the longtime Times crossword editor Will Shortz, argues that crosswords are inevitably politicized by the people who make them. Sophia Stewart, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024 The crossword, Spelling Bee, Wordle, and Connections are household names, and colossal moneymakers. Megan Greenwell, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024 In books, comics, and postcards from the time, the New Woman and the crossword puzzler were linked as flouters of Victorian gender conventions. Anna Shechtman, Harper's Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 Surely, there were many more prolific and talented crossword constructors who could have assisted him. Anna Shechtman, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024 Like crosswords, Freudian psychoanalysis runs on word association and linguistic substitutions. Anna Shechtman, Harper's Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crossword.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crossword was in 1914

Dictionary Entries Near crossword

Cite this Entry

“Crossword.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crossword. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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