USA Today Crossword Answers - Aug 21

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By Sally Hoelscher · Edited by Amanda Rafkin

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Across

  1. 1Lessen graduallyABATE
  2. 6MonumentalEPIC
  3. 10Flaky rockMICA
  4. 14Take a load offRELAX
  5. 15"Rubber duckie, you're the one / You make ___time lots of fun"BATH
  6. 16Type of examORAL
  7. 17Top-tierELITE
  8. 18Fairy tale beginningONCE
  9. 19August 20, e.g.DATE
  10. 20"To catch them is my real test / To train them is my cause" songPOKEMONTHEME
  11. 23AmazementAWE
  12. 24Ask nosy questionsPRY
  13. 25Interfere, like with a lock's integrityTAMPER
  14. 29DevouredATE
  15. 30Feeling blueSAD
  16. 31It can be fragile or inflatedEGO
  17. 32"Top Gun" actor KilmerVAL
  18. 34Like someone who unplugs completelyOFFTHEGRID
  19. 38State that hosts RAGBRAIIOWA
  20. 39RegretRUE
  21. 40BroadcastsAIRS
  22. 41Successor's challenge after replacing a legendBIGSHOESTOFILL
  23. 46Cooling cubesICE
  24. 47ChoosesOPTS
  25. 48OutlawBAN
  26. 49Simmer with angerSEETHE
  27. 51A, in GermanEIN
  28. 52Chimpanzee, e.g.APE
  29. 55Hints that help decipher the meaning of an unfamiliar wordCONTEXTCLUES
  30. 59Leah or Sean, for exampleNAME
  31. 62Calf-length skirtMIDI
  32. 63Actors memorize themLINES
  33. 64Widely adored personIDOL
  34. 65"Beware the ___ of March"IDES
  35. 66Prefix similar to "mega"ULTRA
  36. 67Word after "cereal" or "acai"BOWL
  37. 68Value of a pennyCENT
  38. 69Prone to giving ordersBOSSY

Down

  1. 1Stuffed cornmeal cakeAREPA
  2. 2UnderBELOW
  3. 3Look-___ (doppelganger)ALIKE
  4. 4British museumTATE
  5. 5Not taxable, e.g.EXEMPT
  6. 6Traditional wood for some piano keysEBONY
  7. 7What dogs do to regulate body temperaturePANT
  8. 8Bug bite symptomITCH
  9. 9Fastest land animalCHEETAH
  10. 10Wi-Fi deviceMODEM
  11. 11Roth ___ (nest egg option)IRA
  12. 12Purring petCAT
  13. 13Pub offeringALE
  14. 21Cookie with a BTS varietyOREO
  15. 22CreatedMADE
  16. 26Severe dangerPERIL
  17. 27Aesthetic with emo influencesEGIRL
  18. 28Photoreceptors responsible for night visionRODS
  19. 29"'Tis a shame"ALAS
  20. 30Copy editor's "Leave as-is"STET
  21. 32Essence of a crossword constructor's styleVOICE
  22. 33"Oh, shucks!"AWGEE
  23. 35Ridge on a guitar neckFRET
  24. 36CommotionFUSS
  25. 37AcquireGAIN
  26. 38Sacred Egyptian birdIBIS
  27. 42Snack cake similar to a Swiss rollHOHO
  28. 43Amateur comic's eventOPENMIC
  29. 44Memorial bioOBIT
  30. 45Star's groupiesFANCLUB
  31. 50Infection-fighting immune system componentTCELL
  32. 51Simply beEXIST
  33. 52Parent's sistersAUNTS
  34. 53Social equalsPEERS
  35. 54Writing assignmentESSAY
  36. 56"A rising ___ lifts all boats"TIDE
  37. 57ParadiseEDEN
  38. 58Stitch's palLILO
  39. 59Pen tipNIB
  40. 60CommotionADO
  41. 61Cut the grassMOW

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Lessen gradually — Answer: ABATE. Hint: To do this is to become gradually less intense 📉
  2. 6. Monumental — Answer: EPIC. Hint: Use this adjective for something grand and legendary 🏛️
  3. 10. Flaky rock — Answer: MICA. Hint: This shiny mineral splits into thin, glittering layers ✨
  4. 14. Take a load off — Answer: RELAX. Hint: After a busy day, you might do this on the couch 🛋️
  5. 15. "Rubber duckie, you're the one / You make ___time lots of fun" — Answer: BATH. Hint: The missing word describes the time spent splashing in a tub 🛁
  6. 16. Type of exam — Answer: ORAL. Hint: This exam is answered by speaking rather than writing 🗣️
  7. 17. Top-tier — Answer: ELITE. Hint: This describes the select group at the very top 🏆
  8. 18. Fairy tale beginning — Answer: ONCE. Hint: This classic story opener signals that the tale is about to begin 📖
  9. 19. August 20, e.g. — Answer: DATE. Hint: A calendar marks this, whether it is past or upcoming 📅
  10. 20. "To catch them is my real test / To train them is my cause" song — Answer: POKEMONTHEME. Hint: The lyric comes from the theme song of a beloved creature-catching cartoon 🎶
  11. 23. Amazement — Answer: AWE. Hint: This feeling mixes wonder with amazement ✨
  12. 24. Ask nosy questions — Answer: PRY. Hint: To do this is to poke into matters that are not your business 👀
  13. 25. Interfere, like with a lock's integrity — Answer: TAMPER. Hint: To do this is to meddle with something and risk damaging it 🛠️
  14. 29. Devoured — Answer: ATE. Hint: Someone who finished dinner definitely did this 🍽️
  15. 30. Feeling blue — Answer: SAD. Hint: It describes an unhappy or gloomy mood. 😔
  16. 31. It can be fragile or inflated — Answer: EGO. Hint: This sense of self may be delicate or extravagantly puffed up 🎈
  17. 32. "Top Gun" actor Kilmer — Answer: VAL. Hint: This actor played the icy pilot known as Iceman in Top Gun 🎬
  18. 34. Like someone who unplugs completely — Answer: OFFTHEGRID. Hint: This describes someone living disconnected from modern networks 🌲
  19. 38. State that hosts RAGBRAI — Answer: IOWA. Hint: This Midwestern state hosts the famous annual bicycle ride across its roads 🚴
  20. 39. Regret — Answer: RUE. Hint: Sometimes, when we look back, we might feel a little sad about our choices. 😔
  21. 40. Broadcasts — Answer: AIRS. Hint: Sends a program over radio or television 📡
  22. 41. Successor's challenge after replacing a legend — Answer: BIGSHOESTOFILL. Hint: A new leader may face this daunting expectation 🥾
  23. 46. Cooling cubes — Answer: ICE. Hint: Frozen cubes that chill your favorite drink 🧊
  24. 47. Chooses — Answer: OPTS. Hint: When faced with options, what do you do? 🤔
  25. 48. Outlaw — Answer: BAN. Hint: To forbid something officially by law is to do this 🚫
  26. 49. Simmer with anger — Answer: SEETHE. Hint: Boil emotionally without showing your frustration 😤
  27. 51. A, in German — Answer: EIN. Hint: This German indefinite article can precede a masculine or neuter noun. 🇩🇪
  28. 52. Chimpanzee, e.g. — Answer: APE. Hint: Think of a type of primate that's often seen swinging through trees! 🐒
  29. 55. Hints that help decipher the meaning of an unfamiliar word — Answer: CONTEXTCLUES. Hint: Surrounding words can reveal an unknown term’s meaning 🔍
  30. 59. Leah or Sean, for example — Answer: NAME. Hint: It identifies a person rather than a place or thing 🏷️
  31. 62. Calf-length skirt — Answer: MIDI. Hint: A skirt falling between the knee and ankle uses this fashion length 👗
  32. 63. Actors memorize them — Answer: LINES. Hint: Performers learn their spoken parts before rehearsal 🎭
  33. 64. Widely adored person — Answer: IDOL. Hint: Someone admired by countless fans may be this 🌟
  34. 65. "Beware the ___ of March" — Answer: IDES. Hint: This Shakespearean warning points to a date in mid-March 📅
  35. 66. Prefix similar to "mega" — Answer: ULTRA. Hint: This intensifying prefix suggests something exceptionally large or powerful ⚡
  36. 67. Word after "cereal" or "acai" — Answer: BOWL. Hint: It is the vessel commonly used for a breakfast serving 🥣
  37. 68. Value of a penny — Answer: CENT. Hint: A single penny has this monetary worth 🪙
  38. 69. Prone to giving orders — Answer: BOSSY. Hint: An overly commanding person can be described this way 📣

Down

  1. 1. Stuffed cornmeal cake — Answer: AREPA. Hint: This Latin American corn patty is often filled with savory ingredients 🫓
  2. 2. Under — Answer: BELOW. Hint: A lower position is described by this directional term ⬇️
  3. 3. Look-___ (doppelganger) — Answer: ALIKE. Hint: A matching appearance makes two people uncanny twins 👯
  4. 4. British museum — Answer: TATE. Hint: This famous London gallery is known for modern and contemporary art 🖼️
  5. 5. Not taxable, e.g. — Answer: EXEMPT. Hint: Certain income or goods are excluded from taxation 🧾
  6. 6. Traditional wood for some piano keys — Answer: EBONY. Hint: This dark hardwood was once commonly used for the lower piano keys 🎹
  7. 7. What dogs do to regulate body temperature — Answer: PANT. Hint: Dogs use this rapid breathing to cool themselves down. 🐶
  8. 8. Bug bite symptom — Answer: ITCH. Hint: Sometimes you just can't help but scratch it! 🐜
  9. 9. Fastest land animal — Answer: CHEETAH. Hint: This spotted sprinter can outrun every other land creature. 🏃
  10. 10. Wi-Fi device — Answer: MODEM. Hint: This home-network gadget helps bring internet service to your devices. 📶
  11. 11. Roth ___ (nest egg option) — Answer: IRA. Hint: This tax-advantaged retirement account can hold your savings. 💰
  12. 12. Purring pet — Answer: CAT. Hint: This whiskered companion may curl up in your lap and rumble contentedly. 🐱
  13. 13. Pub offering — Answer: ALE. Hint: A traditional tavern might serve this kind of brew. 🍺
  14. 21. Cookie with a BTS variety — Answer: OREO. Hint: The famous sandwich cookie has had a special edition tied to the K-pop group. 🍪
  15. 22. Created — Answer: MADE. Hint: Something produced or brought into existence was this. 🛠️
  16. 26. Severe danger — Answer: PERIL. Hint: A situation involving serious risk puts you in this. ⚠️
  17. 27. Aesthetic with emo influences — Answer: EGIRL. Hint: This internet-born look often combines bold makeup, gaming culture, and emo flair. 🎭
  18. 28. Photoreceptors responsible for night vision — Answer: RODS. Hint: These retinal cells help your eyes detect dim light. 👁️
  19. 29. "'Tis a shame" — Answer: ALAS. Hint: This old-fashioned exclamation expresses regret or disappointment. 😔
  20. 30. Copy editor's "Leave as-is" — Answer: STET. Hint: A proofreader uses this instruction to cancel a proposed change. 📝
  21. 32. Essence of a crossword constructor's style — Answer: VOICE. Hint: A constructor's distinctive personality can shine through in this. ✍️
  22. 33. "Oh, shucks!" — Answer: AWGEE. Hint: This mild exclamation conveys playful frustration or disappointment. 😅
  23. 35. Ridge on a guitar neck — Answer: FRET. Hint: Guitarists press strings against this raised part to change the notes. 🎸
  24. 36. Commotion — Answer: FUSS. Hint: A noisy disturbance or unnecessary stir is this. 🌀
  25. 37. Acquire — Answer: GAIN. Hint: To obtain something is to do this. 📥
  26. 38. Sacred Egyptian bird — Answer: IBIS. Hint: Ancient Egyptians revered this long-legged wading bird. 🐦
  27. 42. Snack cake similar to a Swiss roll — Answer: HOHO. Hint: This chocolate-covered rolled cake is a classic lunchbox treat. 🍫
  28. 43. Amateur comic's event — Answer: OPENMIC. Hint: A low-stakes stage where newcomers try out jokes 🎤
  29. 44. Memorial bio — Answer: OBIT. Hint: A brief life summary published after someone's death 🕯️
  30. 45. Star's groupies — Answer: FANCLUB. Hint: An organized gathering of devoted admirers 🌟
  31. 50. Infection-fighting immune system component — Answer: TCELL. Hint: A microscopic defender that targets infected cells 🛡️
  32. 51. Simply be — Answer: EXIST. Hint: What something does when it is present in the world 🌎
  33. 52. Parent's sisters — Answer: AUNTS. Hint: Your mother or father's female siblings 👩
  34. 53. Social equals — Answer: PEERS. Hint: People who are on your same level or in your circle 🤝
  35. 54. Writing assignment — Answer: ESSAY. Hint: A structured piece of prose assigned in school ✍️
  36. 56. "A rising ___ lifts all boats" — Answer: TIDE. Hint: The sea level that rises and falls with the moon 🌊
  37. 57. Paradise — Answer: EDEN. Hint: The idyllic garden from the Book of Genesis 🌿
  38. 58. Stitch's pal — Answer: LILO. Hint: The Hawaiian girl who befriends a blue alien 🌺
  39. 59. Pen tip — Answer: NIB. Hint: The small writing point that touches the paper 🖊️
  40. 60. Commotion — Answer: ADO. Hint: Think of a short word for a noisy fuss or bit of hubbub. 🤹
  41. 61. Cut the grass — Answer: MOW. Hint: Use a lawn machine to make the yard neat 🌱

Recent USA Today Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

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Here are the USA Today Crossword answers for Friday, August 21, 2026 — every solution for that day's mid-size puzzle, listed at the top of this page. Whether you're catching up on a puzzle you missed, settling a “what was the answer on August 21?” question, or checking a grid you finished that day, the complete clue-by-clue solution is right here. Looking for today's puzzle instead? Head to our live USA Today Crossword answers page.

USA Today Crossword answers for August 21, 2026

The full solution for the August 21 USA Today Crossword is shown above, laid out clue by clue — every Across answer followed by every Down answer, exactly as that day's grid read. Each answer is listed separately, so you can check just the clue you were stuck on and leave the rest. This is the confirmed grid as published on Friday, August 21.

Full USA Today Crossword answer list for August 21, 2026

Every clue from the August 21 grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Lessen graduallyABATE
6MonumentalEPIC
10Flaky rockMICA
14Take a load offRELAX
15"Rubber duckie, you're the one / You make ___time lots of fun"BATH
16Type of examORAL
17Top-tierELITE
18Fairy tale beginningONCE
19August 20, e.g.DATE
20"To catch them is my real test / To train them is my cause" songPOKEMONTHEME
23AmazementAWE
24Ask nosy questionsPRY
25Interfere, like with a lock's integrityTAMPER
29DevouredATE
30Feeling blueSAD
31It can be fragile or inflatedEGO
32"Top Gun" actor KilmerVAL
34Like someone who unplugs completelyOFFTHEGRID
38State that hosts RAGBRAIIOWA
39RegretRUE
40BroadcastsAIRS
41Successor's challenge after replacing a legendBIGSHOESTOFILL
46Cooling cubesICE
47ChoosesOPTS
48OutlawBAN
49Simmer with angerSEETHE
51A, in GermanEIN
52Chimpanzee, e.g.APE
55Hints that help decipher the meaning of an unfamiliar wordCONTEXTCLUES
59Leah or Sean, for exampleNAME
62Calf-length skirtMIDI
63Actors memorize themLINES
64Widely adored personIDOL
65"Beware the ___ of March"IDES
66Prefix similar to "mega"ULTRA
67Word after "cereal" or "acai"BOWL
68Value of a pennyCENT
69Prone to giving ordersBOSSY

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Stuffed cornmeal cakeAREPA
2UnderBELOW
3Look-___ (doppelganger)ALIKE
4British museumTATE
5Not taxable, e.g.EXEMPT
6Traditional wood for some piano keysEBONY
7What dogs do to regulate body temperaturePANT
8Bug bite symptomITCH
9Fastest land animalCHEETAH
10Wi-Fi deviceMODEM
11Roth ___ (nest egg option)IRA
12Purring petCAT
13Pub offeringALE
21Cookie with a BTS varietyOREO
22CreatedMADE
26Severe dangerPERIL
27Aesthetic with emo influencesEGIRL
28Photoreceptors responsible for night visionRODS
29"'Tis a shame"ALAS
30Copy editor's "Leave as-is"STET
32Essence of a crossword constructor's styleVOICE
33"Oh, shucks!"AWGEE
35Ridge on a guitar neckFRET
36CommotionFUSS
37AcquireGAIN
38Sacred Egyptian birdIBIS
42Snack cake similar to a Swiss rollHOHO
43Amateur comic's eventOPENMIC
44Memorial bioOBIT
45Star's groupiesFANCLUB
50Infection-fighting immune system componentTCELL
51Simply beEXIST
52Parent's sistersAUNTS
53Social equalsPEERS
54Writing assignmentESSAY
56"A rising ___ lifts all boats"TIDE
57ParadiseEDEN
58Stitch's palLILO
59Pen tipNIB
60CommotionADO
61Cut the grassMOW

Hints for the August 21 puzzle

Not ready for the full answer? Here are lighter, spoiler-free nudges for that day's grid, above the solutions. The August 21 USA Today puzzle was, like every USA Today crossword, themed — and, unlike the older broadsheet puzzles, it didn't get harder just because of the weekday: USA Today keeps a consistent, accessible difficulty every day. What changed on Friday was the theme, not the toughness, so that day's theme is usually what solvers were looking up. Use the hints for the trickiest clues, then reveal the answers above only if you need them.

Looking for a different day?

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Frequently asked questions

What were the USA Today Crossword answers on August 21, 2026?

Every answer for the Friday, August 21, 2026 USA Today Crossword is listed at the top of this page — the confirmed grid as published that day.

Where can I find today's USA Today Crossword answers?

Today's live puzzle is on our USA Today Crossword answers today page, updated the moment each new grid goes live.

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