Independence held back Ohio state (5)
I believe the answer is:
idaho
'state' is the definition.
(Idaho is an example)
'independence held back ohio' is the wordplay.
'independence' becomes 'i'.
'held' becomes 'had' ('have' can be a synonym of 'hold').
'back' is a reversal indicator.
'ohio' becomes 'o'.
'had' back-to-front is 'dah'.
'i'+'dah'+'o'='IDAHO'
(Other definitions for idaho that I've seen before include "US location" , "somewhere in the US" , "Union member?" , "part of US near Washington" , "State of north-west USA" .)