Set off

Latest answer — August 20, 2026

42 Across

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A person paying an invoice or other expense.

Clue explained

To defray an expense is to pay for or cover it, effectively setting it off against available funds. The answer is the verb form required by the clue’s action wording.

Clue type:
Definition

NYT Crossword

This clue's Thursday, August 20, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Sound like heaven
  2. 5Game of observation for travel
  3. 11Ad free
  4. 14Brief in pants
  5. 15Correct thoroughly
  6. 16Bad feel
  7. 17Try to place connoisseurs?
  8. 19Cells in compound
  9. 20Checks with style
  10. 21To cop
  11. 22Competition, for starters
  12. 24York ___
  13. 26Place recording
  14. 27Signals over game
  15. 29Maturity approaching
  16. 31Crows to relatives
  17. 32Free booze
  18. 33Confidentiality of letters?
  19. 37"Done well"
  20. 38Short for "info flight"
  21. 39Sponge bath
  22. 40Nothing doing
  23. 41Say "minus C"
  24. 42Set off
  25. 43Practice Japanese
  26. 45Equal roughly
  27. 46Into light
  28. 49Nags about noise?
  29. 51Land of Spot
  30. 52On-off signs
  31. 53Lines some over draw
  32. 57For repentance some feel
  33. 58Details insignificant contests
  34. 61Spending limits it
  35. 62Forum discussion, popular once
  36. 63Cut short
  37. 64Rock-___
  38. 65Out with ate, ate, ate
  39. 66Website gift custom

Down

  1. 1URL starter
  2. 2Asian sea currently undergoing replenishment efforts
  3. 3Civil rights icon Parks
  4. 4Shift the gears of, in a way ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across clues
  5. 5ID in some data breaches
  6. 6Elite H.S. class covering the Constitution
  7. 7Visionary ... or what you'll need to return to when solving this puzzle's Down clues
  8. 8Loads
  9. 9Babe in the Hundred Acre Wood
  10. 10One advocated for by the National Prison Project
  11. 11Whittled (down)
  12. 12Biblical mount
  13. 13It's worth remembering!
  14. 18"No idea"
  15. 23Distinctive expression ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across clues
  16. 25Feature of San Francisco's Lombard Street
  17. 26Mole, e.g.
  18. 27Firm
  19. 28Like many cricket fields
  20. 30Plan to contribute to, for short
  21. 31One of 1,909 for Willie Mays, for short
  22. 34"___ the Explorer"
  23. 35Some distance away
  24. 36Declare
  25. 38"Oh no! A mouse!"
  26. 39What the second number indicates in men's jeans sizes
  27. 41Univ. with an annual Mystery Hunt
  28. 42Eager response to "Wanna join?"
  29. 44Goes nuts for
  30. 46Around
  31. 47Garden-variety
  32. 48Wasn't paying attention
  33. 50Lauder of cosmetics
  34. 52Designer Cassini
  35. 54"I don't really care / If ya think I'm strange / I ___ gonna change": Joan Jett
  36. 55N.F.L. commentator Collinsworth
  37. 56Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g.
  38. 59Letter after chi
  39. 60The "S" of E.S.T.: Abbr.

The answer to “Set off” in the New York Times crossword is DEFRAY — a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 20, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 42-Across. Other answers we've seen for this clue include BEGAN. 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.

“Set off” answer

DEFRAY (6 letters) — most recent; also seen as BEGAN

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 DEFRAY.

What does DEFRAY mean?

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

(verb)

  • provide money to pay (a cost or expense)

Other answers for “Set off”

New York Times has used this clue with more than one solution. Besides DEFRAY, it has also been BEGAN. Every appearance we've indexed is listed below with the date it ran.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Set off”?

The answer is DEFRAY, a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 20, 2026. Other answers for this clue include BEGAN.

How many letters is the answer to “Set off”?

6 letters: DEFRAY. Earlier fills for this clue have also been BEGAN (5).

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on August 20, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 42-Across. Earlier appearances: April 20, 2025 → BEGAN.

Can “Set off” have a different answer?

Yes. Besides DEFRAY, New York Times has also used BEGAN for this clue. Every date and answer is listed above.

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

The full grid for August 20, 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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