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

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

Examples from the web for crossword puzzle

But the crossword puzzle in the next window won't solve itself.
There was always a newspaper on the couch, folded in quarters, with part of the crossword puzzle completed.
Check your aviation knowledge by doing a crossword puzzle.
Test your knowledge of ozone layer science and ozone depletion in this crossword puzzle.

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

Word Origin and History for crossword puzzle

January 1914, from cross (adj.) + word + puzzle. The first one ran in the "New York World" newspaper Dec. 21, 1913, but was called word-cross.