After exploit, the woman's down (8)
I believe the answer is:
feathers
'down' is the definition.
(down can mean bird feathers)
'after exploit the woman's' is the wordplay.
'after' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'exploit' becomes 'feat' (synonyms).
'the woman's' becomes 'hers' (her refers to a woman).
'feat'+'hers' is 'FEATHERS'.
(Other definitions for feathers that I've seen before include "Covering for birds" , "Plumages" , "Bird insulation" , "Plumage, insulation for birds" , "''Hope is the thing with ...'' (Emily Dickinson)" .)