crossword puzzle

American  

noun

crossword puzzles plural

1. a puzzle in which words corresponding to numbered clues or definitions are supplied and fitted into correspondingly numbered sets of squares, one letter per square, the words being arranged horizontally or vertically so that most letters form part of two words.

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crossword puzzle British  

/ ˈkrɒsˌwɜːd /

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: crossword.  a puzzle in which the solver deduces words suggested by numbered clues and writes them into corresponding boxes in a grid to form a vertical and horizontal pattern

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• crossword puzzles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of crossword puzzle

1910–15; cross- + word, allegedly for earlier word cross

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crossword puzzle

"You could really see the opportunity -- not just for a crossword puzzle, but for a collection of games," he noted.

From Barron's ● May 16, 2026

He notes that the interwar period allowed increased leisure time for many, generating fads for new games such as the clue-based crossword puzzle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

The collection is like an elaborate crossword puzzle designed by Borges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2025

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Anna shares how much crossword puzzle creators get paid.

From Slate ● Mar. 3, 2024

“Beat it,” said the doctor on duty there, who was doing a crossword puzzle.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller