USA Today Crossword July 4, 2025 Answers

Here's your complete guide to the USA Today Crossword for Friday, July 4, 2025. Known for its approachable difficulty and contemporary references, this puzzle is perfect for daily solving practice.

USA Today Crossword July 4, 2025 Answers

This USA Today puzzle from July 4, 2025 contains 74 total clues—36 across and 38 down. Below you'll find every clue with its answer and helpful hints. If you're working on a different date, check our USA Today crossword archive.

Across Clues

#	Clue	Answer
1A	Jouster's weapon	LANCE
6A	Mornings (Abbr.)	AMS
9A	Talk up	TOUT
13A	Flourish like a flower	BLOOM
14A	___ Crunch (cereal mascot whose full name is Horatio Magellan Crunch)	CAPN
16A	"How awful!"	ICK
17A	Afro-Brazilian dance	SAMBA
18A	Selina ___ aka Catwoman	KYLE
19A	Red Muppet	ELMO
20A	Crumb-carrying insect	ANT
22A	"Let's ___ so"	HOPE
24A	No longer willing to participate	OUT
25A	Quote from Will Smith after punching an alien in the face in "Independence Day" (1996)	WELCOMETOEARTH
29A	Singer of "Independence Day" (1993)	MARTINAMCBRIDE
30A	A long time ___	AGO
31A	The "p" in mph	PER
32A	Eyelash, for example	HAIR
33A	Gesture of agreement	NOD
34A	Inquires	ASKS
36A	Pandemonium	TOTALCHAOS
40A	Not very competent	INEPT
42A	Author Tan	AMY
44A	"At any ___ . . ."	RATE
45A	Synagogue	TEMPLE
48A	Traffic cone	PYLON
49A	Alternatives to PCs	MACS
52A	56-/58-Across, for example	ORATOR
54A	"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects ___ enhances the freedom of others"	AND
55A	Wedding phrase before a kiss	IDO
56A	With 58-Across, statesman who asked, "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" (1852)	FREDERICK
58A	See 56-Across	REAL
60A	Gazed at	BEHELD
63A	Court challenges	APPEALS
64A	Has the nerve	DARES
65A	Soaks, like a teabag	STEEPS
66A	Sneaky "Hey!"	PSST

Down Clues

#	Clue	Answer
1D	Pounds (Abbr.)	LBS
2D	Apple pie ___ mode	ALA
3D	___ de plume (pen name)	NOM
4D	Metallic shade of blue	COBALT
5D	Set free	UNLEASH
6D	Dismayed exclamation	ACKOHLORD
7D	Pandemonium	TOTALCHAOS
8D	Irregular stain	SPLOTCH
9D	Body part with a nail	TOE
10D	Dismayed exclamation	ACKOHLORD
11D	Get ready to talk on a conference call	UNMUTE
12D	Body part with enamel	TOOTH
15D	Celeb with celeb parents	NEPOBABY
21D	Features of Navajo and Gwich'in	TONES
23D	Unsettling	EERIE
25D	"Rock me, mama, like a ___ wheel"	WAGON
26D	Eat away at	ERODE
27D	Piece of punctuation	MARK
28D	Hang on a clothesline	DRIPDRY
29D	___-pedi	MANI
35D	Caesar and Cobb	SALADS
37D	LeBron and Luka's team	LALAKERS
38D	Loads	ATON
39D	Patch up	MEND
41D	A slam dunk is worth two (Abbr.)	PTS
43D	___ out (distribute)	METE
46D	Ethical principles	MORALS
47D	Freedom of the ___	PRESS
48D	Was super nosy	PRIED
49D	Mythical king with a golden touch	MIDAS
50D	Bring home from a shelter	ADOPT
51D	Style of car	COUPE
53D	Spherical object	ORB
56D	Tent part	FLAP
57D	Bloke	GENT
59D	"___ whiz!"	GEE
61D	"___ Miz"	LES
62D	It ends in Nov.	DST

The USA Today Crossword launched in 1982 alongside the newspaper itself. Known for accessible difficulty and contemporary pop culture references, USA Today puzzles maintain consistent challenge levels throughout the week, making them excellent for daily solving practice. The puzzles embrace modern references while keeping clues fair and solvable.

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