Concerning the country, exaggerate (9)
I believe the answer is:
overstate
'exaggerate' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'concerning the country' is the wordplay.
'concerning' becomes 'over' (both can mean relating to).
'the country' becomes 'state' (synonyms).
'over'+'state'='OVERSTATE'
(Other definitions for overstate that I've seen before include "Exaggerate, make too much of" , "Exaggerate, go beyond bounds of truth" , "lay it on thick" .)