Associate to make things more difficult (7)
I believe the answer is:
involve
'associate' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are verbs in their base form, I can't understand how they can define each other.
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for involve that I've seen before include "Implicate or be bound up with" , "Require" , "Contain; envelop" , "Embroil" , "Absorb" .)