Coupled in shed and ran off without top (8)
I believe the answer is:
shackled
'coupled' is the definition.
'shed and ran off without top' is the wordplay.
'shed' becomes 'shack' (**).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'ran off' becomes 'fled' (I've seen this before).
'without top' means to remove the first letter.
'fled' with its initial letter taken off is 'led'.
'shack'+'led'='SHACKLED'
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for shackled that I've seen before include "In chains" , "Restrained" , "Confined, as with fetters" .)