Runoff cause, perhaps

The answer to “Runoff cause, perhaps” in the LA Times crossword is TIE — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the LA Times crossword on August 1, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 57-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Runoff cause, perhaps” answer

TIE (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is TIE.

Why the answer is TIE

A close finish can leave the outcome hanging by a thread 🤝

What does TIE mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of TIE is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

When else has “Runoff cause, perhaps” appeared?

LA Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

August 1, 2026 (most recent) → TIE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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