Cryptic crossword clue
Church having had steeple replaced showed a sign of life 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word RESPIRED

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
R
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "showed a sign of life" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case showed a sign of life = respired.
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 RESPIRED mean?

RESPIRED verb
  1. To breathe in and out; to engage in the process of respiration.
  2. To recover one's breath or breathe easily following stress.
  3. To (inhale and) exhale; to breathe.

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