Try to break, as a bad habit

Latest answer — August 16, 2025

40 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, August 16, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Beauty lounge, of a sort
  2. 11Calm
  3. 15Mexico's Chamber of Deputies or France's National Assembly, for example
  4. 16Cash on hand?
  5. 17French kiss kissers
  6. 18Pull
  7. 19Leading counsel?
  8. 20Parting word
  9. 21One of the First Nations
  10. 22Tied up
  11. 24Évariste ___, 19th-century French math prodigy for whom a differential theory is named
  12. 27Melancholy 1964 #1 hit for Bobby Vinton
  13. 28Sponge brand originally spelled with two hyphens
  14. 29Spots
  15. 30N.B.A. stat: Abbr.
  16. 31Slightly
  17. 32Practitioner of black magic
  18. 33Kind of box for media watchers
  19. 34"___ the Damn Season" (Taylor Swift holiday song)
  20. 35Machine for a highway crew
  21. 36Like bismuth and bitcoin
  22. 37Swimwear that can be worn as shorts
  23. 39Full of snickers
  24. 40Try to break, as a bad habit
  25. 41Curve that's high and outside?
  26. 42Abbreviated first name found three times on the signed Declaration of Independence
  27. 431990 novelty dance inspired by a comics superhero
  28. 48Staple of an outdoor reception
  29. 49Became a marquee name, say
  30. 50Logical connective
  31. 51Lovers of "Emma" and "Persuasion"
  32. 52Equine color
  33. 53Way to begin gaming, say

Down

  1. 1Appearance of the marine creature called "by-the-wind sailor"
  2. 2Run easily
  3. 3Hasn't settled up
  4. 4Foundered, as an investigation
  5. 5Nintendo title character with a head mirror
  6. 6Largest of the Dodecanese Islands
  7. 7"___ changed"
  8. 8"___ disagree"
  9. 9Barack Obama's final secretary of defense (2015-17)
  10. 10One who profits from eBay, say
  11. 11Expedite
  12. 12Rock solid
  13. 13Where the 10th Amendment leaves many issues
  14. 14Call to whomever
  15. 23___ Alamitos, Calif.
  16. 24Dairy spread in a health food store
  17. 25Bond classification
  18. 26Tony-winning actress who provided the singing voice for the Disney princesses Jasmine and Mulan
  19. 27Is a social butterfly
  20. 29Like a typical flight from New York to London
  21. 32Shower drain protector
  22. 33Property of a wet suit or shapewear
  23. 35Smack in the middle of a crowd, in brief?
  24. 36Units for measuring bacteria and dust
  25. 38Surmount
  26. 39Hazards for high heels
  27. 41Provides job assistance?
  28. 44To be, to Brutus
  29. 45___ Hari
  30. 46Part of A.S.L.: Abbr.
  31. 47Group of spies, say

The answer to “Try to break, as a bad habit” in the New York Times crossword is UNLEARN — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 16, 2025, a Saturday puzzle, at 40-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.

“Try to break, as a bad habit” answer

UNLEARN (7 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 UNLEARN.

Why the answer is UNLEARN

UNLEARN is the 7-letter solution that fits "Try to break, as a bad habit" in the NYT Crossword crossword on August 16, 2025 (40-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does UNLEARN mean?

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

(verb)

  • discard (something learned, especially a bad habit or false or outdated information) from one's memory

When else has “Try to break, as a bad habit” 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.

August 16, 2025 (most recent) → UNLEARN. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Try to break, as a bad habit”?

The answer is UNLEARN, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 16, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Try to break, as a bad habit”?

7 letters: UNLEARN.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on August 16, 2025 (a Saturday puzzle), at 40-Across.

Can “Try to break, as a bad habit” 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 August 16, 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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