"The Great Lakes State" (8)
I believe the answer is:
michigan
'the great lakes state' is the definition.
('Michigan' can be a synonym of 'great lakes state')
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for michigan that I've seen before include "State of Detroit" , "Lake by which Chicago stands" , "US Great Lakes state" , "American state, capital Lansing" , "I'm aching to go to a Great Lake" .)