First-year professional athlete

Latest answer — September 07, 2026

16 Across

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

Clue explained

A ROOKIE is a first-year athlete who has just entered professional competition.

Clue type:
Definition
A first-year professional athlete in a team uniform

NYT Crossword

This clue's Monday, September 07, 2026 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1Actress Longoria or Mendes
  2. 4Word after op or pop
  3. 7Jabbers on a plane?
  4. 13Hip-hop's ___ Wayne
  5. 14"If I ___ a Carpenter"
  6. 16First-year professional athlete
  7. 17Illegal
  8. 19Meal, formally
  9. 20Not working, as a phone
  10. 21Tool for winter fishing
  11. 23Affirmative
  12. 24To be, in Barcelona
  13. 26Made level
  14. 28Apple all-in-one computer
  15. 30Contribute something more
  16. 31Hoppy brews, for short
  17. 35Dependable, upstanding guy
  18. 37Key often near Caps Lock
  19. 38Bog down
  20. 39What a hen lays
  21. 40Robes tied with obis
  22. 43Bit of acne, informally
  23. 44How Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic in 1927
  24. 46___ and Driver (magazine)
  25. 47"Holy cannoli!"
  26. 49Fret
  27. 50Kipling novel or its young hero
  28. 51Singer Bareilles
  29. 52"Beats me!"
  30. 55Indian princes
  31. 58Rotor speed fig.
  32. 61Ordered (around)
  33. 63Carry
  34. 64Wizard's mixture
  35. 66Not now, but later
  36. 68Cut out
  37. 69List, as in a reference
  38. 70Yea's opposite
  39. 71Ukrainian seaport, in an older spelling
  40. 72"Let's ___!" ("Dinner's on!")
  41. 73Org. checking carry-on bags

Down

  1. 1Deftly avoid
  2. 2Plants with tendrils
  3. 3Electric with excitement
  4. 4Cry over a newborn
  5. 5Home loan overhaul, in brief
  6. 6Halt to hostilities
  7. 7Some gofers
  8. 8Handbag fashion label from Madrid
  9. 9Playful knock on the noggin
  10. 10Give the thumbs-up
  11. 11Sagacious
  12. 12Divisions in a tennis match
  13. 15Uplifting tunes? ... or a hint to the circled squares
  14. 18President after Washington
  15. 22Alternative to a convertible or station wagon
  16. 25Hat holder
  17. 27Barely visible, as light from a star
  18. 29Grammy-winning pianist with the Elektric Band
  19. 32Dive offering slices
  20. 33Puccini's "Nessun dorma," e.g.
  21. 34Meyers of late night
  22. 35Clutter
  23. 36Rare four-award achievement in entertainment, for short
  24. 41Slips in a slot at the post office
  25. 42Fly to new heights
  26. 45Dominate, in sports slang
  27. 48"I was angry with my foe: / I told it not, my ___ did grow": William Blake
  28. 53Passing notices, informally
  29. 54Counting-out rhyme opener
  30. 56Book made obsolescent by GPS
  31. 57"Buh-bye!"
  32. 58Attempt anew
  33. 59Said "guilty," say
  34. 60One of 26 in a marathon
  35. 62Contents of an Excel spreadsheet
  36. 65Kisses, symbolically
  37. 67Like some dog kisses

The answer to “First-year professional athlete” in the New York Times crossword is ROOKIE — a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 7, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 16-Across. 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.

“First-year professional athlete” answer

ROOKIE (6 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 ROOKIE.

What does ROOKIE mean?

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

(noun)

  • a new recruit, especially in the army or police

When else has “First-year professional athlete” appeared?

New York 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.

September 7, 2026 (most recent) → ROOKIE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “First-year professional athlete”?

The answer is ROOKIE, a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 7, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “First-year professional athlete”?

6 letters: ROOKIE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 7, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 16-Across.

Can “First-year professional athlete” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for September 7, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

Crossword Clues

Looking up a clue? Jump into today's answers and clue help from top puzzles.