Like a friend who always has your back

Latest answer — July 09, 2026

44 Across

Think of a quality that makes someone a true companion! 🤝

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Thursday, July 09, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Do some sums
  2. 4"Sum" homophone
  3. 8___ couture
  4. 13Not against
  5. 14Flibbertigibbet
  6. 16Stripped-down NPR music event
  7. 18Role play?
  8. 19___ Braden (civil rights activist)
  9. 20Really lay on, like a horn
  10. 21Butt one can bum
  11. 22Ocean color
  12. 24___ fairy
  13. 26Luau dish
  14. 27Ingredient in beer and bread
  15. 31"Soon"
  16. 33Poetic shoutout
  17. 35What a facepalm might mean
  18. 36Crow sounds
  19. 37More unusual
  20. 39"Da ___" (nickname for a world-famous Chicagoan)
  21. 40Accessibility law, for short
  22. 41Insta post
  23. 42Queen Latifah, e.g.
  24. 44Like a friend who always has your back
  25. 47That lady
  26. 49Vintage
  27. 50Purr-fect spot for sleeping, playing and scratching
  28. 53"Te ___ mucho"
  29. 54Cheeky
  30. 56Celebrity couple
  31. 57Rodent in a lab
  32. 58YouTubers and TikTokkers, e.g.
  33. 61Green Bay Packers fan
  34. 62___ tai
  35. 63Scatter some seeds
  36. 64Nile vipers
  37. 65Likely response to "Who wants to go to Disneyland?"

Down

  1. 1Enthusiast
  2. 2"Stay tuned . . . we'll be right back!"
  3. 3Like an arid climate
  4. 4Play part
  5. 5"Sick burn!"
  6. 6"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
  7. 7" . . . you get the idea"
  8. 8Pullover shirt with buttons at the neckline
  9. 9Like knowledge that might elicit a "How on EARTH did you know that?!"
  10. 10Lyft alternative
  11. 11Ripped
  12. 12Phone number add-on (Abbr.)
  13. 15Father-___ (expectant parent)
  14. 16Strategic
  15. 17Japanese soup stock
  16. 23Roller coaster, e.g.
  17. 25Channel with "Young Sheldon" reruns
  18. 28Highway beautification program
  19. 29Game series with warp pipes and mushroom power-ups
  20. 30Questlove's band
  21. 32Apex
  22. 34Omit the word "not" in "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (as happened in a King James reprint dubbed the Wicked Bible), say
  23. 38___ golf
  24. 39N95 masks, e.g.
  25. 43Swell smell
  26. 45Not quite right?
  27. 46Shoestrings
  28. 48Lure into a sting operation
  29. 51Actress Daly
  30. 52Property documents
  31. 54Fashionable Manhattan neighborhood
  32. 55Once more
  33. 58Includes on an email
  34. 59"J to ___ L-O! The Remixes" (2002 album)
  35. 60"I SO did not need to know that"

The answer to “Like a friend who always has your back” in the USA Today crossword is LOYAL — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on July 9, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 44-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.

“Like a friend who always has your back” answer

LOYAL (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 LOYAL.

Why the answer is LOYAL

Think of a quality that makes someone a true companion! 🤝

What does LOYAL mean?

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

(adjective)

  • giving or showing firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or institution

When else has “Like a friend who always has your back” 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.

July 9, 2026 (most recent) → LOYAL. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Like a friend who always has your back”?

The answer is LOYAL, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on July 9, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Like a friend who always has your back”?

5 letters: LOYAL.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on July 9, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 44-Across.

Can “Like a friend who always has your back” 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 July 9, 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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