Passed a writer in the street (5)
I believe the answer is:
spent
'passed' is the definition.
('spend' can be a synonym of 'pass')
'a writer in the street' is the wordplay.
'a writer' becomes 'pen' (something which writes).
'in the' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'street' becomes 'st' (abbreviation).
'pen' placed within 'st' is 'SPENT'.
(Other definitions for spent that I've seen before include "Used up; exhausted" , "Burned-out" , "Worn out, having laid out money" , "Expended" , "Splashed out" .)