The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 11 letter word DETERIORATE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
D
E
T
E
R
I
O
R
A
T
E
More clues leading to the result DETERIORATE
- Decline to discourage start of Irish pontificate
- Stop to make a speech about international decline
- Discourage one old judge in decline.
- Fail to speak after head of industry, after getting put off
- Go off outside, denied kiss during tryst
- Go off appearance, avoiding kiss in romantic meeting
- Do retire, eat freely, and go to pot!
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "decline" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case decline = deteriorate.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 DETERIORATE mean?
DETERIORATE verb- To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair.
- To grow worse; to be impaired in quality; to degenerate.