Successful candidates

The answer

INS

3 letters. See every clue for this answer on the INS answer page.

Used 8 times across 6 distinct years; most recently in 2013; first recorded in 1967. It appears in 5 publications in the xd corpus. Frequency and last-seen figures come from the xd crossword corpus only.

Other answers for this clue

The same clue has also been answered these ways in the xd corpus. Answers inside this collection link to their own answer page.

• ELECTEES (1 uses in xd)

Other clues for INS

Every other clue in this collection answered by INS, most used first.

• ___ and outs - used 193 times, most recently in 2026
• Connections - used 172 times, most recently in 2026
• Officeholders - used 101 times, most recently in 2025
• Electees - used 64 times, most recently in 2025
• Helpful connections - used 53 times, most recently in 2026
• Election winners - used 51 times, most recently in 2025
• Office holders - used 43 times, most recently in 2014
• Elected ones - used 39 times, most recently in 2013
• They hold power - used 39 times, most recently in 2026
• Social connections - used 37 times, most recently in 2026
• Powerful bunch - used 36 times, most recently in 2025
• Elected officials - used 30 times, most recently in 2019
• Those elected - used 30 times, most recently in 2021
• Powerful people - used 29 times, most recently in 2026
• November winners - used 25 times, most recently in 2018
• Useful connections - used 25 times, most recently in 2026
• Helpful contacts - used 23 times, most recently in 2024
• Powers that be - used 23 times, most recently in 2017
• Personal connections - used 18 times, most recently in 2026
• Shoo-__ (sure things) - used 17 times, most recently in 2026
• Shoo-___ (sure winners) - used 17 times, most recently in 2024
• Green card org. - used 14 times, most recently in 2014
• "Walk-___ welcome" - used 14 times, most recently in 2026
• Incumbents. - used 13 times, most recently in 2007
• Networking connections - used 13 times, most recently in 2026
• Those with clout - used 12 times, most recently in 2022
• Ones with power - used 11 times, most recently in 2025
• ___ and outs (particulars) - used 10 times, most recently in 2021
• Current administration - used 10 times, most recently in 2009
• DEL neighbor, on a PC - used 10 times, most recently in 2006
• Outs' counterparts - used 9 times, most recently in 2024
• Shoo-___ - used 9 times, most recently in 2021
• Ties - used 9 times, most recently in 2018
• ___ and outs (intricacies) - used 8 times, most recently in 2023
• Business connections - used 8 times, most recently in 2026
• Networking assets - used 8 times, most recently in 2026
• Playable serves - used 8 times, most recently in 2026
• Re-election seekers - used 8 times, most recently in 2023
• Write-___ (some nominees) - used 8 times, most recently in 2016
• Election victors - used 7 times, most recently in 2010
• Measures: Abbr. - used 7 times, most recently in 1973
• Powerful connections - used 7 times, most recently in 2024
• Professional connections - used 7 times, most recently in 2023
• Shoo-___ (certain winners) - used 7 times, most recently in 2025
• Those holding office - used 7 times, most recently in 2018
• Walk-___ (clients sans appointments) - used 7 times, most recently in 2012
• ___ and outs (nuances) - used 6 times, most recently in 2026
• Outs partner - used 6 times, most recently in 2020
• Outs' opposites - used 6 times, most recently in 2022
• Powerful group - used 6 times, most recently in 2021
• Seat holders - used 6 times, most recently in 2022
• Shoo-__: easy winners - used 6 times, most recently in 2022
• Sit-___ (protests) - used 6 times, most recently in 2025

Related clues

Clues in this collection of the same answer length that share a word with this clue, or match its answer pattern when no word is shared. Most used first.

• Successful song - HIT, used 17 times
• Where the successful go - FAR, used 14 times
• Successful at-bat - HIT, used 12 times
• Successful turn in Battleship - HIT, used 7 times
• Successful show - HIT, used 6 times
• Successful solver's shout - AHA, used 6 times

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