Sat around the opening; we object to standing (6)
I believe the answer is:
status
'to standing' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'sat around the opening we object' is the wordplay.
'sat around' becomes 'sat' ('sit' can be a synonym of 'sit around').
'the' becomes 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects).
'opening' is an insertion indicator (some letters open a gap in others).
'we object' becomes 'us' (object pronoun for 'we').
'sat' going around 't' is 'stat'.
'stat'+'us'='STATUS'
(Other definitions for status that I've seen before include "Rank or position in society" , "Standing position, perhaps" , "Rank or standing in society" , "Standing, condition, position" , "High social standing" .)