Spinster in a state? (4)
I believe the answer is:
miss
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'spinster' is the first definition.
(thesaurus)
'a state?' is the second definition.
(I've seen this before)
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for miss that I've seen before include "Fail to hit; girl" , "Single girl" , "Fail to reach" , "Fail to notice; avoid" , "Don't hit" .)