Hypothetical (one hopes!) global conflict, for short

Latest answer — March 16, 2026

7 Down

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Monday, March 16, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1"Throw me the ball, no one's covering me!"
  2. 7Drone's sound
  3. 11Cave-dwelling flier
  4. 14Galactic cloud
  5. 15Texas city that's home to Baylor University
  6. 16Broadcast
  7. 17*Forever
  8. 19Deer mother?
  9. 20Brad of 2025's "F1"
  10. 21"In case it's of interest ...," in brief
  11. 22Plenty of
  12. 24Bugle tune
  13. 25*One of a kind
  14. 28Bronx-born congresswoman elected in 2018, familiarly
  15. 30"Great Red" feature of Jupiter
  16. 31*Masterwork
  17. 36Wide-eyed and eager
  18. 40Go down to 0%, as a computer battery
  19. 41Allotment
  20. 43"___ word?"
  21. 44SoCal sch. whose teams are the Aztecs
  22. 46*After the event, as an analysis
  23. 48Ball-___ hammer
  24. 50Teeny-tiny
  25. 51*Reciprocal exchange
  26. 57Historian's focus
  27. 60"Me too," formally
  28. 61One might end with "com" or "org"
  29. 62Water, in Juárez
  30. 63___ chi
  31. 64Stereotypical charmers ... or those charmed by the answers to the starred clues?
  32. 68Before today
  33. 69Gem mined in Australia
  34. 70Exact retribution for
  35. 71Sleep cycle inits.
  36. 72Chap
  37. 73Term of address for a nun

Down

  1. 1Not suitable
  2. 2Social ___ (TikTok, Instagram, etc.)
  3. 3Locales for the late news?
  4. 4Kicks down the road, as a decision
  5. 5Santa's little helper
  6. 6Innocent sorts
  7. 7Hypothetical (one hopes!) global conflict, for short
  8. 8Beanie or beret
  9. 9Carefully monitored hosp. area
  10. 10Italian cheese
  11. 11Negative press for a celeb, say
  12. 12Condiment with lots of garlic ... and vowels
  13. 13Family diagrams
  14. 18Greenwich Village campus, in brief
  15. 23Like a book about writing a book, say
  16. 26Fighter pilot's garb
  17. 27___ salts
  18. 29Recipe unit
  19. 31Rx writers
  20. 32A helping hand
  21. 33Sullen sort
  22. 34City that's home to the University of Maine
  23. 35Six for a touchdown: Abbr.
  24. 37Staffer in a flight terminal
  25. 38"All for ___ and ___ for all!"
  26. 39Workout site
  27. 42"Pronto!"
  28. 45Fancy coif
  29. 47Improves, as a bike path
  30. 49Literary afterthought
  31. 51Mideast nation ruled by the House of Thani
  32. 52Meter reading
  33. 53"Talk turkey" or "eat crow"
  34. 54Warm bed covering
  35. 55Still-life vessel
  36. 56Earthen pots, from the Spanish
  37. 58Sudden increase
  38. 59Weapon that stuns
  39. 65Tail-less primate
  40. 66Beachgoer's "souvenir"
  41. 67Prefix meaning "egg"

The answer to “Hypothetical (one hopes!) global conflict, for short” in the New York Times crossword is WWIII — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on March 16, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 7-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.

“Hypothetical (one hopes!) global conflict, for short” answer

WWIII (5 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 WWIII.

Why the answer is WWIII

WWIII is the 5-letter solution that fits "Hypothetical (one hopes!) global conflict, for short" in the NYT Crossword crossword on March 16, 2026 (7-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

When else has “Hypothetical (one hopes!) global conflict, for short” 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.

March 16, 2026 (most recent) → WWIII. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Hypothetical (one hopes!) global conflict, for short”?

The answer is WWIII, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on March 16, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Hypothetical (one hopes!) global conflict, for short”?

5 letters: WWIII.

When did this clue appear?

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

Can “Hypothetical (one hopes!) global conflict, for short” 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 March 16, 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.

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