Metaphor for a runaway success

The answer to “Metaphor for a runaway success” in the New York Times crossword is WILDFIRE — a 8-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on February 1, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 41-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.

“Metaphor for a runaway success” answer

WILDFIRE (8 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 WILDFIRE.

Why the answer is WILDFIRE

WILDFIRE is the 8-letter solution that fits "Metaphor for a runaway success" in the NYT Crossword crossword on February 1, 2026 (41-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does WILDFIRE mean?

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

When else has “Metaphor for a runaway success” 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.

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

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