Crossword clue

“Barack Obama's final secretary of defense (2015-17)”

This clue appeared as 9-Down in the NYT Crossword on Saturday, August 16, 2025. The answer has 9 letters.

Answer · 9 lettersFirst appearance

ASHCARTER

Letters9

Starts withA

Ends withR

Vowels3

Where this clue has appeared

NYT Crossword
Aug 16, 20259 letters→

About this clue

The clue “Barack Obama's final secretary of defense (2015-17)” ran in the NYT Crossword on August 16, 2025 as 9-Down. Its answer is a 9-letter word that starts with A and ends with R, with 3 vowels, which often points to a phrase, a name or a borrowed word.

See every answer from the puzzle on the NYT Crossword page for August 16, 2025, or learn how clues like this work in our guide to crossword clue types.

More clues from this puzzle

1ABeauty lounge, of a sort10 letters 11ACalm4 letters 15AMexico's Chamber of Deputies or France's National Assembly, for example10 letters 16ACash on hand?4 letters 17AFrench kiss kissers10 letters 18APull4 letters 19ALeading counsel?10 letters 20AParting word4 letters

FAQ

What is the answer to the “Barack Obama's final secretary of defense (2015-17)” clue?+

The answer is ASHCARTER (9 letters), from the NYT Crossword of August 16, 2025.

Where has this clue appeared?+

We have seen it 1 time in the NYT Crossword.

How do I find other NYT Crossword answers?+

Open the full list of answers for August 16, 2025, or browse every date on the NYT Crossword hub.