The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word MAINTAIN
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
M
A
I
N
T
A
I
N
More clues leading to the result MAINTAIN
- Look after chief, popular with army
- Preserve article in deep container
- Keep leading Tina astray
- Old lady cheers a couple of home guards for support
- State isn’t casually taken over by chief
- Declare support
- State finance
- Support chief facing endless disgrace
- Key volunteers once elected to carry on
- Keep isn’t commonly toured by chief
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 MAINTAIN mean?
MAINTAIN verb- To support (someone), to back up or assist (someone) in an action.
- To keep up; to preserve; to uphold (a state, condition etc.).
- To declare or affirm (a clause) to be true; to assert.