Serves as ruler

Latest answer — August 09, 2026

45 Down

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

Clue explained

A monarch REIGNS when serving as a ruler. The third-person singular verb form matches the subject understood in “serves as ruler.”

Clue type:
Definition
A monarch seated on a ceremonial throne

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Sunday, August 09, 2026 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1Flower holders
  2. 6The "one" in a one-two punch
  3. 9Oyster sauce amount (Abbr.)
  4. 13"Before Sunrise," "Before Sunset" and "Before Midnight" star Hawke
  5. 14The Cab genre
  6. 15Athletic trainer
  7. 16___ apso
  8. 17"Interesting . . ."
  9. 18Reversed
  10. 19"I'm in awe!"
  11. 22WSW opposite
  12. 23Mauna ___ (Hawaiian volcano)
  13. 24Gameplay environment, in gaming
  14. 25Two peas ___ pod
  15. 27Little bits
  16. 29Strongly advised
  17. 31Basics
  18. 32Like the goddess Saraswati
  19. 34People also known as the Muscogee
  20. 35Visual media company known for stock photos
  21. 38"___ Disposition" (The Temper Trap song)
  22. 40Kind of protest
  23. 41"The Babadook" director Jennifer
  24. 42___ pad (notebook)
  25. 44Storyline trajectories
  26. 48Songwriter Tamposi
  27. 49Place for a hearing aid
  28. 50Calligraphy liquid
  29. 52Enjoy some hopia
  30. 53Like a VR experience that feels completely real
  31. 57Pad krapow gai herb
  32. 58"The Golden Girls" star Arthur
  33. 59"I'm flattered!"
  34. 60Cornmeal cake
  35. 61Goof up
  36. 62Moon-related
  37. 63Famous Scottish loch
  38. 64With 65-Across, concert song lineups
  39. 65See 64-Across

Down

  1. 1Upscale fabric
  2. 2Minerva's Greek counterpart
  3. 3Didn't keep everything for oneself
  4. 4"No sweat!"
  5. 5Slow-moving gastropod
  6. 6Game show whose "think music" was originally a lullaby
  7. 7Love, in Spanish
  8. 8"Rent" song "La Vie ___"
  9. 9"Beloved" author Morrison
  10. 10Negative energy
  11. 11Astronomy or epidemiology, e.g.
  12. 12Certain grad school degree
  13. 15Verge
  14. 20___ Everest
  15. 21Bummed
  16. 26___.com (search engine that officially closed on May 1, 2026)
  17. 28Mattress covering
  18. 30False appearance
  19. 31Sporting venue
  20. 33Wednesday Addams' cousin
  21. 34Sci-fi FX
  22. 35Whizzes
  23. 36Gas-station store
  24. 37Make things right
  25. 38Jamaican music genre
  26. 39TANF, e.g.
  27. 42Articulate
  28. 43Cherokee and Pueblo, for two
  29. 45Serves as ruler
  30. 46Warning
  31. 47Takes the wheel
  32. 49"Yellowjackets" star Purnell
  33. 51"Big Mouth" star Nick
  34. 54Body parts that can be "sealed"
  35. 55"A ___ technicality!"
  36. 56Feng ___
  37. 57Forbid

The answer to “Serves as ruler” in the USA Today crossword is REIGNS — a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 9, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 45-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.

“Serves as ruler” answer

REIGNS (6 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 REIGNS.

What does REIGNS mean?

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

(verb)

  • hold royal office; rule as monarch

When else has “Serves as ruler” 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 9, 2026 (most recent) → REIGNS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Serves as ruler”?

The answer is REIGNS, a 6-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 9, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Serves as ruler”?

6 letters: REIGNS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on August 9, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 45-Down.

Can “Serves as ruler” 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 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.

Crossword Clues

Looking up a clue? Jump into today's answers and clue help from top puzzles.