Sphere of influence

Latest answer — May 11, 2025

26 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Sunday, May 11, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Cartridge from the 1980s
  2. 10Source of the words "galore" and "smithereens"
  3. 15"Nice!"
  4. 20Drag-racing venue
  5. 21Nature personified
  6. 23"Pinky-swear?"
  7. 24Step on a scale?
  8. 25The Beatles' "White Album" has four of them
  9. 26Sphere of influence
  10. 281957 Isaac Asimov novel, with "The"
  11. 29Command that might be represented by a curved arrow pointing left
  12. 30Outer layer of the brain
  13. 32Inveigle
  14. 33Package drop-off sites: Abbr.
  15. 34"Council," in Russian
  16. 35"Flower Myth" painter Paul
  17. 36Takes a bit off the top
  18. 40Showed off on an instrument
  19. 41Follow closely
  20. 42Note-to-self medium, perhaps
  21. 43Beers from Bremen, informally
  22. 46Zingy flavor
  23. 47Way off in the distance
  24. 48Agreeable words
  25. 49Defeated decisively
  26. 50Fish that passes the "mirror test" of self-recognition
  27. 52Salon sound
  28. 53Poker declaration
  29. 54"I've Been Everywhere" singer in the Country Music Hall of Fame
  30. 55Mass agreements
  31. 56"Whoever did this has it coming!"
  32. 59Lynn ___, Super Bowl X M.V.P.
  33. 60At the end of the day
  34. 61Recently
  35. 62"Phooey!"
  36. 63Right of way, say
  37. 64Cornmeal dish at a trattoria
  38. 65"I ___ you!"
  39. 66Eternity
  40. 67Partner of 74-Across
  41. 68Acted diplomatically
  42. 69Organ above the trachea
  43. 71Comic Ali
  44. 72Black out
  45. 73Big name in the cleaning aisle
  46. 74Partner of 67-Across
  47. 75Embody something proudly
  48. 76___ Fring, "Breaking Bad" antagonist
  49. 79Spots for lavalier mics
  50. 81Hebrew greeting
  51. 82Turn to pulp
  52. 831999 Maeve Binchy novel
  53. 86Young salmon
  54. 87Unit of magnetic flux density
  55. 88Spirit with a citrus flavor
  56. 90Head cheese
  57. 93Minor crime
  58. 94Adding up (to)
  59. 95Joy on TV
  60. 96Button on many appliances
  61. 97"Network" co-star, 1976

Down

  1. 1Invigorates
  2. 2Home of the Italian soccer club Juventus
  3. 3Fighting (with)
  4. 4Fictional character who says "Here's to my love! O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick"
  5. 5Mechanism that controls a camera's aperture
  6. 6Dashboard device, in brief
  7. 7Tavern offering
  8. 8High school reunion topic
  9. 9Spent
  10. 10Amalgamate
  11. 11Uninteresting game, perhaps
  12. 12Word with a commonly misapplied apostrophe
  13. 13Climbed, as a rope
  14. 14Greek goddess depicted holding torches and snakes
  15. 15Person on a nominating committee, say
  16. 16Goes nowhere in particular
  17. 17Psyche's partner
  18. 18Accusatory words
  19. 19"Well ___"
  20. 22Twice-distilled Turkish beverage
  21. 27Item in a hedge
  22. 30Lass
  23. 31Semicircular?
  24. 32With style
  25. 34"Let's eat!"
  26. 35School whose sports teams are known as the Golden Flashes
  27. 37Traveling from place to place
  28. 38Shopgirl in a Paris boutique
  29. 39Freezes
  30. 40Homo ___ neanderthalensis
  31. 41Strong urge
  32. 42Cough up
  33. 43Cake with a distinctive swirl
  34. 44Casual and not meant to be taken seriously, as a remark
  35. 45Spinal cord membranes
  36. 46Shade akin to pumpkin
  37. 47Court favor in a cringey fashion
  38. 50Beasts with enormous tusks
  39. 51Shake up
  40. 52Show warmth to
  41. 54Like recording studio equipment
  42. 55Plague
  43. 57Take in
  44. 58Archer's gift
  45. 63Old curse word
  46. 64Actor Pascal of "Gladiator II"
  47. 66What provides the big picture?
  48. 68Noon or 6:00 p.m., for some
  49. 70Reality TV star Hadid
  50. 71Something sown, per an idiom
  51. 72Macho stereotype
  52. 74Goes in and out
  53. 75Word before knows or cares
  54. 76Chess opening
  55. 77Dime store?
  56. 78In need of a haircut, say
  57. 80Limerick, e.g.
  58. 81Tricked out with the latest technology, say
  59. 82One-named Brazilian soccer star who is a six-time FIFA World Player of the Year
  60. 83Body building?
  61. 84___ Crown Theater (downtown Chicago landmark)
  62. 85Acting without thinking
  63. 86Candy brand with a crown in its logo
  64. 87See 89-Down
  65. 8987-Down makeup
  66. 91It may be rolled out in the backyard
  67. 92Setting for Jacques-Louis David's painting "The Death of Marat"

The answer to “Sphere of influence” in the New York Times crossword is ORBIT — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on May 11, 2025, a Sunday puzzle, at 26-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.

“Sphere of influence” answer

ORBIT (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 ORBIT.

Why the answer is ORBIT

ORBIT is the 5-letter solution that fits "Sphere of influence" in the NYT Crossword crossword on May 11, 2025 (26-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does ORBIT mean?

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

(noun)

  • the curved path of a celestial object or spacecraft round a star, planet, or moon, especially a periodic elliptical revolution
  • an area of activity, interest, or influence
  • the cavity in the skull of a vertebrate that contains the eye; the eye socket

When else has “Sphere of influence” 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.

May 11, 2025 (most recent) → ORBIT. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Sphere of influence”?

The answer is ORBIT, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on May 11, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Sphere of influence”?

5 letters: ORBIT.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on May 11, 2025 (a Sunday puzzle), at 26-Across.

Can “Sphere of influence” 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 May 11, 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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