Hug eastern doctor before contest (7)
I believe the answer is:
embrace
'hug' is the definition.
('embrace' can be a synonym of 'hug')
'eastern doctor before contest' is the wordplay.
'eastern' becomes 'e'.
'doctor' becomes 'mb' (Bachelor of Medicine, Medicinae Baccalaureus).
'before' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'contest' becomes 'race' (race is a kind of contest**).
'e'+'mb'+'race'='EMBRACE'
(Other definitions for embrace that I've seen before include "Loving hug" , "bear-hug?" , "Hold tightly in the arms" , "Hold closely, include" , "Include, contain" .)