Crossword Genius

Hesitation after beloved becomes more expensive (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dearer

'more expensive' is the definition.
('dear' can be similar in meaning to 'expensive')

'hesitation after beloved' is the wordplay.
'hesitation' becomes 'er' (sound made while hesitating - um, er).
'after' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'beloved' becomes 'dear' (synonyms).
'er' put after 'dear' is 'DEARER'.

'becomes' is the link.

(Other definitions for dearer that I've seen before include "Less cheap" , "Nearer to the heart" , "More expensive or more beloved" , "More expensive or loved" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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