Offering that must be paid back

Latest answer — August 16, 2026

28 Down

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Clue explained

A LOAN is money or another offering provided with the expectation that it will be repaid. It is a noun here, referring to the repayable offering itself.

Clue type:
Definition
Loan paperwork and money on a desk

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Sunday, August 16, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Little fight
  2. 5Apple on a teacher's desk?
  3. 9Chills out
  4. 14Low-pitched horn
  5. 15Threads and WhatsApp parent company
  6. 16". . . well, I could be mistaken"
  7. 17Visa competitor
  8. 18Counterparts of cons
  9. 19Winged origami creation
  10. 20One power source for a hybrid vehicle
  11. 23Tacked-on cost
  12. 24Person to look up to
  13. 25Ridiculous
  14. 27Bit of a faux pas
  15. 30Ear passage
  16. 32Siri's platform
  17. 33"Bridgerton" title
  18. 35Doritos ___ Cheese
  19. 39Handheld lunch stuffed with romaine, croutons and dressing
  20. 43Prepare to pray
  21. 44Miles off
  22. 45Enjoyed a 39-Across
  23. 46Did some undercover work?
  24. 48No longer frozen
  25. 51College-level H.S. science class
  26. 54Takes advantage of
  27. 55Small pal of Pooh
  28. 56"Let's check out that replay!"
  29. 62Greenlighting
  30. 64Prefix for "pilot" or "correct"
  31. 65"No phones at the table," e.g.
  32. 66Disorderly fight
  33. 67Andrajos or goulash
  34. 68Exam that's hard to cheat on
  35. 69Burning desire?
  36. 70Women's telehealth platform
  37. 71Mentions

Down

  1. 1Attempt
  2. 2Athletic brand that makes the Speedcat
  3. 3Help with a heist
  4. 4Advice from a CPA
  5. 5Inappropriate
  6. 6Streep who voiced Insect Queen in "Hoppers"
  7. 7Perched upon
  8. 8"Mi ___ es su ___"
  9. 9Pink Floyd or Black Sabbath
  10. 10Take a wrong turn, say
  11. 11Big fiasco
  12. 12Canon filler?
  13. 13Jouster's horse
  14. 21Academic URL ending
  15. 22Tuna container
  16. 26Shredded barbecue side
  17. 27"Awesome!"
  18. 28Offering that must be paid back
  19. 29"Ah, now it makes sense!"
  20. 30Create new equipment in a video game
  21. 31Pasta ___ carbonara
  22. 34"Make it snappy!"
  23. 36Sticking point
  24. 37Can't stand
  25. 38Angled column?
  26. 40Short meeting?
  27. 41Cat hair or pollen
  28. 42Many gallery events
  29. 47Broody music genre
  30. 49___ haw (donkey's sound)
  31. 502017 and 2022 World Series champions
  32. 51Enticing scent from a bakery
  33. 52Fireplace utensil
  34. 53They're tightly wound
  35. 54Say aloud
  36. 57Mascara target
  37. 58Bard's strings
  38. 59A person's general vibe
  39. 60"Angels in America," e.g.
  40. 61Disney's Flotsam and Jetsam, for example
  41. 63"The Matrix" role

The answer to “Offering that must be paid back” in the USA Today crossword is LOAN — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 16, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 28-Down. 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.

“Offering that must be paid back” answer

LOAN (4 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 LOAN.

What does LOAN mean?

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

(noun)

  • a thing that is borrowed, especially a sum of money that is expected to be paid back with interest

When else has “Offering that must be paid 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.

August 16, 2026 (most recent) → LOAN. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Offering that must be paid back”?

The answer is LOAN, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 16, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Offering that must be paid back”?

4 letters: LOAN.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on August 16, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 28-Down.

Can “Offering that must be paid 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 August 16, 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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