Approaches a cunning snare (5)
I believe the answer is:
nears
'approaches' is the definition.
('near' can be a synonym of 'approach')
'a cunning snare' is the wordplay.
'a cunning' indicates an anagram.
'snare' is an anagram of 'NEARS'.
(Other definitions for nears that I've seen before include "Becomes closer" , "Saner (anag.)" , "Approaches - snare (anag)" , "Comes closer" , "Draws closer to" .)