Make out record with English navy (7)
I believe the answer is:
discern
'make out' is the definition.
('discern' can be a synonym of 'make out')
'record with english navy' is the wordplay.
'record' becomes 'disc' ('disc' can be a synonym of 'record'**).
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'navy' becomes 'rn' (abbreviation for Royal Navy).
'disc'+'e'+'rn'='DISCERN'
(Other definitions for discern that I've seen before include "spot" , "Perceive - distinguish" , "Pick out" , "Espy" , "See" .)