Catch associate coming back? Not quite (6)
I believe the answer is:
entrap
'catch' is the definition.
(to entrap is to catch with a trap)
'associate coming back? not quite' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'not' could be 'nt' (synonyms) and 'nt' is located in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
(Other definitions for entrap that I've seen before include "Parent (anag)" , "Catch like parent" , "Set up" , "decoy" , "Snare - inveigle" .)