Crossword Genius

Prisoner to look after, say (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

contend

'say' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'prisoner to look after' is the wordplay.
'prisoner' becomes 'con' (abbreviation for 'convict').
'to look after' becomes 'tend' (tending is a kind of looking after).
'con'+'tend'='CONTEND'

(Other definitions for contend that I've seen before include "Struggle; assert" , "Tend NCO (anag.)" , "fight" , "Struggle in rivalry" , "Struggle (with someone)" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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