Holds sway
The crossword clue "Holds sway" is answered by RULES, a 5-letter entry. Used 7 times across 7 distinct years; most recently in 2015; first recorded in 1971. It appears in 6 publications in the xd corpus. Every figure on this page comes from the collection data itself, never from a guess.
The answer
RULES
5 letters. See every clue for this answer on the RULES answer page.
Used 7 times across 7 distinct years; most recently in 2015; first recorded in 1971. It appears in 6 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.
Other clues for RULES
Every other clue in this collection answered by RULES, most used first.
- Regulations - used 18 times, most recently in 2026
- Governs - used 12 times, most recently in 2024
- Reigns - used 10 times, most recently in 2026
- Bylaws - used 7 times, most recently in 2023
- Dos and don'ts - used 7 times, most recently in 2023
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.
- Holds up - LASTS, used 24 times
- Holds back - STEMS, used 22 times
- Hold sway - REIGN, used 21 times
- Held sway - RULED, used 13 times
- Holds out - LASTS, used 11 times
- It holds water - BASIN, used 10 times
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