The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word DROPLET
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
D
R
O
P
L
E
T
More clues leading to the result DROPLET
- Doctor’s surgery allowed tiny liquid measure
- Doctor allowed to conceal operation tear
- Small tear maybe in work permit found on drive
- Petrol splashed on back of hood, small amount of liquid
- Let fall and let tear
- Very little fluid allowed after surgery by doctor
- Tiny amount of petrol mistakenly offered at under a dollar
- Abandon lease, having found a small tear, perhaps
- Little tear perhaps left in tatty red top
- Retold novel about origin of pearl bead
Buddy explains!

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 DROPLET mean?
DROPLET noun- A very small drop.