Contend gripping second wood (5)
I believe the answer is:
copse
'wood' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'contend gripping second' is the wordplay.
'contend' becomes 'cope' ('cope' can be a synonym of 'contend').
'gripping' indicates putting letters inside.
'second' becomes 's' (common abbreviation).
'cope' enclosing 's' is 'COPSE'.
(Other definitions for copse that I've seen before include "Small group of trees" , "Dense growth of shrubs or trees" , "Small thicket" , "Dense growth of bushes or trees" , "spinney" .)