USA Today Crossword October 23, 2026 Answers

MEMaya EllisonPuzzle Editor · Verified answers

Friday puzzle · 78 clues — every Across and Down answer for the October 23, 2026 USA Today Crossword.

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Across

1ChitchatGAB 4Doc with an otoscopeENT 7Scandalous ending?GATE 11"You & I" singer RitaORA 12"___ rue the day!"YOULL 15SpokenORAL 16Place for sardinesTIN 17Think highly ofESTEEM 19Recycling centers?BINS 20Annual pilgrimage to MeccaHAJJ 22It's the absolute worstHOTGARBAGE 24Small, plumlike fruitSLOE 25Half of a huge cost?ARM 26Note between fa and laSOL 27Roll of cashWAD 29"That's well within our abilities!"YESWECAN 34Jigsaw puzzle partPIECE 36"The Tell-Tale Heart" authorPOE 37Fundraising event, maybeGALA 38Does more than just tear upBAWLS 39Word after "top" or "perfect"TEN 40UnseriousJOKEY 41October birthstoneOPAL 42Place to go in London?LOO 43Cozy hotel amenitiesROBES 44Place to begin a mountain ascentBASECAMP 46DwindleEBB 47A driving need for some peopleGAS 48Abbr. in many company namesLTD 50Research sitesLABS 54Feature activated by holding down a computer keyAUTOREPEAT 58The "grand slam" of showbiz awards, for shortEGOT 59Not looking goodGRIM 60Cute little crawlerRUGRAT 62ImitateAPE 63Fairy tale monsterOGRE 64Goes through someone's stuffSNOOPS 65"C'est la ___!"VIE 66"Come on!"GEEZ 67Drink served by the Mad HatterTEA 68Info at JFK or LAXETD

Down

1They wear black clothing and heavy eyelinerGOTHS 2Popular fontARIAL 3Instrument in a bluegrass bandBANJO 4Hurricane's calm spotEYE 5"I don't mean to insult anyone . . ."NOSHADE 6Private teacherTUTOR 7Fowl language?GOBBLEGOBBLE 8Diva's performanceARIA 9Sharp tasteTANG 10InsteadELSE 13Moses' plea to PharaohLETMYPEOPLEGO 14Half of a huge cost?LEG 18En ___MASSE 21Groundbreaking writer and activist who cofounded GLAADJEWELLEGOMEZ 23Part of a seating assignmentROW 28They help beat the heat (Abbr.)ACS 30Real long timeEON 31Candle holder?CAKE 32Pub offeringsALES 33Vote againstNAY 34Smurf with a red hatPAPA 35"As ___ saying . . ."IWAS 38Float up and downBOB 39"The Odyssey" star HollandTOM 40TaskJOB 42Light show componentsLASERS 43Bureaucratic obstacleREDTAPE 45Train segmentCAR 49Fortuneteller's deckTAROT 51Tequila plantAGAVE 52Toy that shouts commands at playersBOPIT 53Trusty mountSTEED 54In aweAGOG 55HankeringURGE 56Grow wearyTIRE 57"How do aliens organize a party? They planet," e.g.PUN 61Airport safety org.TSA

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About this puzzle

This page lists every clue from the USA Today Crossword published on October 23, 2026, a Friday, in Across and Down order. Tap any clue to open its solution page with the answer, its letter count, and every other date it has appeared. Looking for a different day? Head to the full archive or use the search bar at the top of the page.