Strive to be like one friend possessing sex appeal (7)

I believe the answer is:

imitate

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'strive to be' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.

'one friend possessing sex appeal' is the wordplay.
'one' becomes 'I' (Roman numeral).
'friend' becomes 'mate' (mate is a kind of friend).
'possessing' indicates putting letters inside.
'sex appeal' becomes 'it'.
'mate' placed around 'it' is 'mitate'.
'i'+'mitate'='IMITATE'

'like' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for imitate that I've seen before include "Mock" , "Parrot" , "Fake" , "Appear like, in behaviour or appearance" , "I tame it to copy it" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.