Advance before meeting resistance, keeping at a distance (7)
I believe the answer is:
proffer
'advance' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'before meeting resistance keeping at a distance' is the wordplay.
'before' becomes 'pre' (prefix meaning 'before').
'meeting' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'resistance' becomes 'r' (electronics abbreviation).
'keeping' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'at a distance' becomes 'off' (synonyms).
'pre'+'r'='prer'
'prer' enclosing 'off' is 'PROFFER'.
(Other definitions for proffer that I've seen before include "Hold out for acceptance" , "Present, tender" , "Present for acceptance" , "Offer a suggestion" , "Submit" .)