Shunning an empty space with cane construction (9)
I believe the answer is:
avoidance
'shunning' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'an empty space with cane construction' is the wordplay.
'an' becomes 'a'.
'empty space' becomes 'void' (I've seen this in another clue).
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'construction' is an anagram indicator (answer constructed from certain letters).
'cane' anagrammed gives 'ance'.
'a'+'void'+'ance'='AVOIDANCE'
(Other definitions for avoidance that I've seen before include "Evasion" , "ducking" , "Steering clear of" , "The shunning of something undesirable, like tax" , "Not dealing with" .)