Athlete's best effort

Latest answer — August 08, 2026

9 Across

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

Clue explained

An athlete’s “A game” is their highest level of performance—their best effort. The grid omits the space and hyphen normally used in “A-game.”

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
An athlete competing at a very high level

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Saturday, August 08, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Region
  2. 5"Be right ___!"
  3. 9Athlete's best effort
  4. 14Counterpart to a dog lover
  5. 16Legal
  6. 17Small digit
  7. 18Builders of Machu Picchu
  8. 19"___ Velita" (Bad Bunny song)
  9. 20Sharpie or milepost, for example
  10. 22Navy's counterpart
  11. 23"Me too!"
  12. 24Existential weariness
  13. 26"Now!"
  14. 29Place to collect shells
  15. 31Rigid adherence to a tradition
  16. 34Icy precipitation
  17. 35Playing area that could devalue nearby properties due to unwanted noise
  18. 40Enter
  19. 41Beatles co-founder John
  20. 42Greek letter hidden in "epsilon"
  21. 44Ring-shaped cake type
  22. 46Rapper with a hyphenated name
  23. 47"I would be ___ if I didn't . . ."
  24. 49___ Sans (common font)
  25. 52Not odd
  26. 53Apple earbud
  27. 55Bikini top
  28. 58Put the ___ to the metal
  29. 60"Do you want me to keep listing examples?"
  30. 62Venue for a big concert
  31. 63Dense and crumbly breakfast treat
  32. 64Exciting RSVP responses
  33. 65More, in Spanish
  34. 66Doctors for animals

Down

  1. 1Org. fighting for human rights
  2. 2Unfortunate forecast for a beach day
  3. 3"Tell Mama" singer James
  4. 4Fitting
  5. 5Chapati or naan
  6. 6Houston baseball team
  7. 7Milkshake flavor that might contain Oreos
  8. 8Patella's joint
  9. 9Actor Mahershala
  10. 10Refreshing cocktail garnished with lime
  11. 11Build up, like interest
  12. 12City south of Fort Lauderdale
  13. 13___ witch (spiritual practitioner solicited via an online marketplace)
  14. 15Red Muppet
  15. 21List on eBay, say
  16. 23Powerful volleyball shot
  17. 25Sibling's daughter
  18. 26Google Play download
  19. 27Actress Chase ___ Wonders
  20. 28Greek mathematician who allegedly shouted "Eureka!"
  21. 30___-or-nothing
  22. 32Big hunks of material
  23. 33Mythological woman with snakes for hair
  24. 36Recycling container
  25. 37Sch. in Chapel Hill
  26. 38Fish eggs
  27. 39Dynamite alternative
  28. 42Give money up front
  29. 43Harsh
  30. 45Capital of Kansas
  31. 48Senseless
  32. 50Eco and sport, in some cars
  33. 51"That was me"
  34. 54LLC alternative
  35. 55___ broth
  36. 56Defeat decisively
  37. 57Common pantry infestation
  38. 59___ Vegas
  39. 61End of some municipal URLs

The answer to “Athlete's best effort” in the USA Today crossword is AGAME — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 8, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 9-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.

“Athlete's best effort” answer

AGAME (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 AGAME.

When else has “Athlete's best effort” appeared?

USA Today 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 8, 2026 (most recent) → AGAME. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Athlete's best effort”?

The answer is AGAME, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 8, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Athlete's best effort”?

5 letters: AGAME.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on August 8, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 9-Across.

Can “Athlete's best effort” have a different answer?

Yes — USA Today 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 USA Today answers?

The full grid for August 8, 2026 is on the USA Today answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

USA Today Crossword is published by USA Today; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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