Cries out in surprise

Latest answer — August 12, 2026

40 Across

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Clue explained

YELPS is the present-tense verb meaning cries out sharply, often from surprise, pain, or alarm. The final -S agrees with the implied singular subject.

Clue type:
Word form
A person reacting with a startled cry

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, August 12, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Witnessed
  2. 4Triumph
  3. 7Brazilian dances
  4. 13"Watch this space!" letters
  5. 14LSD
  6. 16Not too bright?
  7. 17Outdated
  8. 19Reacted to injustice
  9. 20Chain reaction in which small actions create a big impact
  10. 22Southwestern formations
  11. 23___ Sremmurd (hip-hop duo)
  12. 24"The Silence of the Lambs" org.
  13. 27Experiment spot
  14. 29Beaut
  15. 30"Frozen" snowman
  16. 31The "L" of LACMA
  17. 34Young horses
  18. 36"The March King"
  19. 37High-fiber baked good
  20. 40Cries out in surprise
  21. 41Cookie-selling group
  22. 42Travel by plane
  23. 43Stretches of timelines
  24. 44Grape ___ (rhyming drink)
  25. 45One sample ___ customer
  26. 47Pet that might have ruby-colored eyes
  27. 48He's generally associated with chicken?
  28. 49"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" detective Diaz
  29. 52People who work behind the scenes
  30. 57Person-shaped board game token
  31. 60Chilaquiles ingredient
  32. 61Stay
  33. 62Notion
  34. 63"I'm ___" ("Ready to hear the gossip")
  35. 64Dry spell
  36. 65Visionary
  37. 66Versatile card

Down

  1. 1Seattle WNBA team
  2. 2"Jack Ryan" actress Cornish
  3. 3Paper nest builders
  4. 4They might be hidden behind portraits
  5. 5Carbonated frozen drink
  6. 6Late hours, in ads
  7. 7___ Queen (horror icon)
  8. 8Disney girl with a surreal imagination
  9. 9Irrelevant
  10. 10"He's a 10, ___ . . ."
  11. 11Refreshing drink suffix
  12. 12"The Bear" chef
  13. 15"4 sure!"
  14. 18Birthstone for some Libras
  15. 21Red chili pepper
  16. 24Marshmallow ___
  17. 25Caprese salad ingredient
  18. 26". . . though none may exist"
  19. 28Animated dad who loves making burgers
  20. 29Harsh light
  21. 30"Yikes"
  22. 31Wedding cake part
  23. 32"The Phantom of the ___"
  24. 33Water balloon sound
  25. 35Music genre with striking visuals
  26. 36Highly successful person
  27. 38Vinyl records
  28. 39Floor-cleaning tool
  29. 44Source of many matches
  30. 46___ canai (flatbread)
  31. 48Blooming bulb
  32. 50It might be a dip, or include a dip
  33. 51Duck sound in some insurance ads
  34. 52Unwanted texts, e.g.
  35. 53R&B singer Redding
  36. 54Participated in RAGBRAI
  37. 5544-Down, e.g.
  38. 56What meeting your soulmate might feel like
  39. 57"Mr. and ___. Smith"
  40. 58Slippery fish
  41. 59Australian bird

The answer to “Cries out in surprise” in the USA Today crossword is YELPS — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 12, 2026, a Wednesday 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.

“Cries out in surprise” answer

YELPS (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 YELPS.

What does YELPS mean?

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

(noun)

  • a short, sharp cry, especially of pain or alarm

When else has “Cries out in surprise” 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 12, 2026 (most recent) → YELPS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Cries out in surprise”?

The answer is YELPS, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 12, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Cries out in surprise”?

5 letters: YELPS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on August 12, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 40-Across.

Can “Cries out in surprise” 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 12, 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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