The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word OUTCLASS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
O
U
T
C
L
A
S
S
More clues leading to the result OUTCLASS
- Soundly beat rear of student cutting Balliol lecture, say
- Put in the shade, if not in form
- Best untrendy educational unit
- Mistaken about girl’s top
- Not in form? Do better
- Make public form in Excel
- Better when not in order
- Get the better of when not in form
- Win easily but not in form
- Trump dismissed social division
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Soundly beat" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case soundly beat = outclass.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 OUTCLASS mean?
OUTCLASS verb- To surpass something or somebody else, so as to appear to be in a higher class