Attempt, by the way, to find meeting place (5)
I believe the answer is:
tryst
'meeting place' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'attempt by the way to find' is the wordplay.
'attempt' becomes 'try' (synonyms).
'by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'the' becomes 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects).
'way' becomes 's' (Compass direction - South).
'to find' indicates an anagram.
't'+'s'='ts'
'ts' with letters rearranged gives 'st'.
'try'+'st'='TRYST'
(Other definitions for tryst that I've seen before include "Secret assignment" , "Date" , "cattle-fair" , "Secret assignation" , "private appointment" .)