Copes as the male gets older (7)
I believe the answer is:
manages
'copes' is the definition.
(I know this)
'the male gets older' is the wordplay.
'the male' becomes 'man' (man is a kind of male).
'gets older' becomes 'ages' ('age' can be a synonym of 'get older').
'man'+'ages'='MANAGES'
'as' acts as a link.
I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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