Entertained in the morning, then exploited (6)
I believe the answer is:
amused
'entertained' is the definition.
(amusing is a kind of entertaining)
'morning then exploited' is the wordplay.
'morning' becomes 'am' (as in 12:00 AM).
'then' says to put letters next to each other.
'exploited' becomes 'used' (synonyms).
'am'+'used'='AMUSED'
'in the' is the link.
(Other definitions for amused that I've seen before include "Provoked mirth in" , "Kept someone entertained" , "happily occupied" , "Pleasantly occupied" , "Made (someone) laugh" .)