Meant not to be caught in the act (7)
I believe the answer is:
denoted
'meant' is the definition.
(denoting is a kind of meaning)
'not to be caught in the act' is the wordplay.
'to be caught in' indicates putting letters inside.
'the act' becomes 'deed' (deed is a kind of act**).
'not' going inside 'deed' is 'DENOTED'.
(Other definitions for denoted that I've seen before include "Indicated or meant" , "Signified" .)