crossword puzzle

noun

a puzzle in which words corresponding to numbered clues or definitions are supplied and fitted into correspondingly numbered sets of squares, one letter per square, the words being arranged horizontally or vertically so that most letters form part of two words.

Origin of crossword puzzle

1910–15; cross- + word, allegedly for earlier word cross

Words nearby crossword puzzle

crossways, crosswind, crosswise, crossword, crossword dictionary, crossword puzzle, crosswort, crostini, crotal, crotalin, crotch

British Dictionary definitions for crossword puzzle

crossword puzzle
/ (ˈkrɒsˌwɜːd) /

noun

a puzzle in which the solver deduces words suggested by numbered clues and writes them into corresponding boxes in a grid to form a vertical and horizontal pattern Sometimes shortened to: crossword