Divergent routes socialist took (9)
I believe the answer is:
trousered
'took' is the definition.
The answer and definition are not the same part of speech. However, past participle verbs and adjectives sometimes define each other.
'divergent routes socialist' is the wordplay.
'divergent' indicates an anagram.
'socialist' becomes 'red' (red can informally mean a socialist).
'routes' is an anagram of 'trouse'.
'trouse'+'red'='TROUSERED'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for trousered that I've seen before include "pocketed cash?" , "Took for oneself" , "in jeans?" , "Drunk -- stole" , "Decently attired" .)