Crossword clue

“Neutralized, as an explosive situation”

This clue appeared as 3-Down in the NYT Crossword on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. The answer has 7 letters.

Answer · 7 lettersFirst appearance

DEFUSED

Letters7

Starts withD

Ends withD

Vowels3

Where this clue has appeared

NYT Crossword
Dec 9, 20257 letters→

About this clue

The clue “Neutralized, as an explosive situation” ran in the NYT Crossword on December 9, 2025 as 3-Down. Its answer is a 7-letter word that starts with D and ends with D, 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 December 9, 2025, or learn how clues like this work in our guide to crossword clue types.

More clues from this puzzle

1AGoes on to say4 letters 5ASan Diego baseballer5 letters 10ALivens (up)4 letters 14ATermites, for an aardwolf4 letters 15ACup-shaped flower5 letters 16AGive off4 letters 17A"Judging from the information available to me …"15 letters 20AUnadulterated4 letters

FAQ

What is the answer to the “Neutralized, as an explosive situation” clue?+

The answer is DEFUSED (7 letters), from the NYT Crossword of December 9, 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 December 9, 2025, or browse every date on the NYT Crossword hub.