The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word STATE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
T
A
T
E
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "A Catherine or Sharon, say (5)" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a catherine or sharon, say (5) = state.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does STATE mean?
STATE noun- A condition; a set of circumstances applying at any given time.
- High social standing or circumstance.
- A polity.
- (stochastic processes) An element of the range of the random variables that define a random process.
- (grammar) The lexical aspect (aktionsart) of verbs or predicates that do not change over time.
- To declare to be a fact.
- To make known.
- Stately.