Defeats

Latest answer — August 13, 2026

37 Across

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

Clue explained

BESTS means defeats or outdoes, as in “she bests her opponent.” The third-person singular verb form fits the action indicated by “Defeats.”

Clue type:
Word form
An athlete winning a competition against an opponent.

Eugene Sheffer Crossword

This clue's Thursday, August 13, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1“Ben- --”
  2. 4Eric of “Troy”
  3. 8Actress Kunis
  4. 12-- loss
  5. 13Muscat’s land
  6. 14Eve’s guy
  7. 15Long-winded
  8. 17Hereditary unit
  9. 18Soup cooker
  10. 19Apple earbuds
  11. 21“Annie Hall” actress
  12. 24Yale grad
  13. 25URL ending
  14. 26Snooze
  15. 28Big rigs
  16. 32Alliances
  17. 34Solidify
  18. 36Get lippy
  19. 37Defeats
  20. 39Xenon, for one
  21. 41Scooted
  22. 42UFO crew
  23. 44Bluegrass instruments
  24. 46Climbing vine
  25. 50Tic-tac-toe loser
  26. 51-- apart
  27. 52Character that represents a word
  28. 56Theater award
  29. 57Squared
  30. 58Mature
  31. 59Crystal gazer
  32. 60Match parts
  33. 61Trim the grass

Down

  1. 1Guffaw syllable
  2. 2Actress Hagen
  3. 3Runs amok
  4. 4Crooner Michael
  5. 5French pal
  6. 6“Peter Pan” pooch
  7. 7Rolling Stones hit song
  8. 8Chatterboxes
  9. 9Prefix meaning “thought”
  10. 10Hit the runway
  11. 11Iowa city
  12. 16Droid
  13. 20“Kidnapped” monogram
  14. 21Broadcast journalist Hoda
  15. 22New York canal
  16. 23Pester
  17. 27Identify
  18. 29Mint family herb
  19. 30Golfer Aoki
  20. 31Taxpayer IDs
  21. 33Pittsburgh pro
  22. 35Science room
  23. 38NASCAR sponsor
  24. 40Battle of Hastings participants
  25. 43Tennis great Monica
  26. 45Eggy quaff
  27. 46Fiscal execs
  28. 47Broccoli --
  29. 48Writer Wiesel
  30. 49Wander
  31. 53Retrieve
  32. 54In the past
  33. 55Kitten’s cry

The answer to “Defeats” in the Eugene Sheffer crossword is BESTS — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Eugene Sheffer crossword on August 13, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 37-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.

“Defeats” answer

BESTS (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 BESTS.

What does BESTS mean?

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

(verb)

  • outwit or get the better of (someone)

When else has “Defeats” appeared?

Eugene Sheffer 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 13, 2026 (most recent) → BESTS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Defeats”?

The answer is BESTS, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Eugene Sheffer crossword on August 13, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Defeats”?

5 letters: BESTS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the Eugene Sheffer crossword on August 13, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 37-Across.

Can “Defeats” have a different answer?

Yes — Eugene Sheffer 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 Eugene Sheffer answers?

The full grid for August 13, 2026 is on the Eugene Sheffer answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

Eugene Sheffer Crossword is published by King Features Syndicate; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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