Sets in motion

Latest answer — October 17, 2025

20 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Friday, October 17, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1What a comment might be made in
  2. 5Plant often confused with algae
  3. 9"The Craft"
  4. 14Pulitzer-winning historian and journalist Applebaum
  5. 15Understanding response
  6. 16Amazon smart speakers
  7. 17British singer with the top 10 albums "Crash" and "Brat"
  8. 19Some suitors
  9. 20Sets in motion
  10. 21Sake, for one
  11. 23Not fixed, as a stone
  12. 24Drinking game with projectiles
  13. 25Sign of healing
  14. 26New service member
  15. 27Mental image, for short?
  16. 28Fun-size, so to speak
  17. 29Stalk
  18. 31First releases
  19. 33Taking out the trash and others
  20. 35Lab liquids
  21. 36Max ___, boxer nicknamed "Madcap Maxie"
  22. 37Corn ___ (snack misnomer)
  23. 39Longtime Nestlé candy brand
  24. 41Arizona tribe with matrilineal clans
  25. 421992 Whoopi Goldberg comedy
  26. 45Survived, so to speak
  27. 46Portmanteau for evidence based solely on personal accounts
  28. 47Popular name of the 1958 Italian hit "Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu"
  29. 48___ month
  30. 49Act of writing down whatever comes to mind in order to clear mental clutter
  31. 51Wipe
  32. 52Biblical locale in a Steinbeck title
  33. 53Golfer Aoki
  34. 54Rationed (out)
  35. 55Bleak
  36. 56Gravitate

Down

  1. 1Historic Émile Zola letter of 1898
  2. 2Improved
  3. 3Meaty dog treats "in a blanket"
  4. 4Less prolix
  5. 5Customizable Nintendo avatars
  6. 6Mac platform renamed in 2016
  7. 7Condition of discretion
  8. 8More seductive
  9. 9One managing online content
  10. 10Drink that comes with free refills
  11. 11Word with easy or high
  12. 12Matter
  13. 13Insufferable sorts
  14. 18Court call
  15. 22Handles beautifully, in slang
  16. 24Bills worth 100 buckaroos
  17. 26British singer with the hits "R.I.P." and "Radioactive"
  18. 28Showed embarrassment, say
  19. 30Event typically occurring in one's late 40s or early 50s
  20. 32Hoped-for scenario
  21. 33America, for one: Abbr.
  22. 34DC figure since 1938
  23. 36Brand of rum mentioned in Hemingway novels
  24. 38Certain unit of detergent
  25. 40Pet gear often eschewed in favor of someone's lap
  26. 41"Stop the presses!"
  27. 42Capital that's home to the oldest university in the Western U.S. (1842)
  28. 43Habituate
  29. 44Upper house of the French parliament
  30. 45With, in Spanish
  31. 47Plant on a pergola
  32. 50___ Lingus

The answer to “Sets in motion” in the New York Times crossword is CAUSES — a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 17, 2025, a Friday puzzle, at 20-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.

“Sets in motion” answer

CAUSES (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 CAUSES.

Why the answer is CAUSES

CAUSES is the 6-letter solution that fits "Sets in motion" in the NYT Crossword crossword on October 17, 2025 (20-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does CAUSES mean?

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

(noun)

  • a person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition
  • a principle, aim, or movement to which one is committed and which one is prepared to defend or advocate
  • a matter to be resolved in a court of law

When else has “Sets in motion” 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.

October 17, 2025 (most recent) → CAUSES. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Sets in motion”?

The answer is CAUSES, a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 17, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Sets in motion”?

6 letters: CAUSES.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 17, 2025 (a Friday puzzle), at 20-Across.

Can “Sets in motion” 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 October 17, 2025 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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