Raves about states (5)
I believe the answer is:
avers
'states' is the definition.
(to aver is to declare or state)
'raves about' is the wordplay.
'about' is an anagram indicator.
'raves' is an anagram of 'AVERS'.
(Other definitions for avers that I've seen before include "States to be true" , "Alleges, asserts" , "States firmly - really raves" , "States positively" , "Swears" .)