Considered Frenchman exploited (5)
I believe the answer is:
mused
'considered' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both related to thinking as well as being past participle verbs.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?
'frenchman exploited' is the wordplay.
'frenchman' becomes 'm' (abbreviation for Monsieur).
'exploited' becomes 'used' (synonyms).
'm'+'used'='MUSED'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for mused that I've seen before include "Reflected in silence" , "Reflected or pondered" , "Was absorbed in thought" , "Fuddled" , "Was deep in thought" .)