Those held close crossword clue
4 Down · WSJ Crossword, October 29, 2026 · 8 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Those held close” is DEARONES. It appears as 4 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of October 29, 2026, a Thursday puzzle titled “Keeping in Shape” by Matt Gaffney, and it fills 8 squares running top to bottom from row 1, column 4 of the 15×15 grid.
The clue is a straightforward definition, so the answer is a direct synonym or a factual match for the words as written. The entry begins with D and ends with S, and contains 4 vowels and 4 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Across entries should be enough to lock it in. Thursday puzzles lean harder on misdirection, so expect the rest of this grid to be pitched at the same level.
Past appearances
DEARONES has not appeared as an answer in any other WSJ puzzle in our index, which runs from May 2026 onward. It will be listed here the next time it turns up.