The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word PIPPING
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
P
I
P
P
I
N
G
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 PIPPING mean?
PIPPING verb- To get the better of; to defeat by a narrow margin
- To hit with a gunshot
- To peep, to chirp
- (avian biology) To make the initial hole during the process of hatching from an egg