A number had a row having imbibed (5)
I believe the answer is:
drank
'imbibed' is the definition.
('drink' can be a synonym of 'imbibe')
'a number had a row' is the wordplay.
'a number' becomes 'd' (D is an example).
'had' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'a row' becomes 'rank' (as in a taxi rank).
'd'+'rank'='DRANK'
'having' is the link.
(Other definitions for drank that I've seen before include "Imbibed" , "Swallowed (liquid)" , "Took to alcohol" , "knocked back" , "Tippled" .)