The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word PREVENT
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
P
R
E
V
E
N
T
More clues leading to the result PREVENT
- Chance for officials to get through to public bar?
- Stop publicity being given to competition?
- Stop public relations function
- Put a stop to public relations incident
- Check before discharge
- Stop before opening
- Don’t allow backing for Trump’s extremes to overshadow right’s regular following
- Bar where spin doctors congregate?
- Stop by before five to get English books
- Stop propaganda happening
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Stop" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case stop = prevent.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 PREVENT mean?
PREVENT verb- To stop (an outcome); to keep from (doing something).
- To take preventative measures.
- To come before; to precede.
- To outdo, surpass.
- To be beforehand with; to anticipate.