Cheat to start puzzle (8)
I believe the answer is:
confound
'puzzle' is the definition.
('confound' can be a synonym of 'puzzle')
'cheat to start' is the wordplay.
'cheat' becomes 'con' (con is a kind of cheat).
'to' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'start' becomes 'found' (I've seen this before**).
'con'+'found'='CONFOUND'
(Other definitions for confound that I've seen before include "Thwart - baffle" , "Prove wrong; confuse" , "Befuddle, confuse" , "floor" , "Nonplus" .)