Was overprotective, in a way

The answer to “Was overprotective, in a way” in the New York Times crossword is HOVERED — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 22, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 14-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.

“Was overprotective, in a way” answer

HOVERED (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 HOVERED.

What does HOVERED mean?

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

When else has “Was overprotective, in a way” 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.

September 22, 2026 (most recent) → HOVERED. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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