The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word VIOLATE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
V
I
O
L
A
T
E
More clues leading to the result VIOLATE
- Profane Shakespearean cross-dresser emptied theatre
- Abuse Stradivarius, perhaps, and trombone’s case
- Abuse of music producer leads to tense encounter
- Defile musical instrument with empty tune
- Six others primarily behind abuse
- Abuse in Spanish city not good after hours
- Heard disgusting group rowing, being profane
- Abuse? It’s quickly detected in bistro perhaps when consuming drink
- Break instrument that's extremely troublesome
- Break the musical instrument with Lawrence
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Abuse" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case abuse = violate.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 VIOLATE mean?
VIOLATE verb- To break or disregard (a rule or convention).
- To rape.
- To cite (a person) for a parole violation.