Bad robes altered and taken up (8)
I believe the answer is:
absorbed
'taken up' is the definition.
('absorb' can be a synonym of 'take up')
'bad robes altered' is the wordplay.
'altered' indicates an anagram.
'bad'+'robes'='badrobes'
'badrobes' with letters rearranged gives 'ABSORBED'.
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for absorbed that I've seen before include "Assimilated" , "Was a sponge" , "Deep in thought" , "Wholly engrossed or imbued" , "Took in or sucked up" .)