The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word RETALIATE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
R
E
T
A
L
I
A
T
E
More clues leading to the result RETALIATE
- Strike back soon over one put away
- Hit back, seeing extremely rude woman in gallery
- Retired boxer who refused to fight at Penge finally hit back
- Online clothing store perhaps recalled accepting thanks in reply
- Online merchant recalled accepting thanks in reply
- Aggressive tail a terrapin displays when about to strike back
- Repay a literate maniac
- Alert, stirred up, I had to fight back
- Having run with the others, I grabbed some food to get back
- Fight back at atelier resolved
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 RETALIATE mean?
RETALIATE verb- To do something harmful or negative to get revenge for some harm; to fight back or respond in kind to an injury or affront.
- To repay or requite by an act of the same kind.