Thought of the many getting exploited (5)
I believe the answer is:
mused
'thought of' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'the many getting exploited' is the wordplay.
'the many' becomes 'm'.
'getting' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'exploited' becomes 'used' ('used' can be a synonym of 'exploited').
'm'+'used'='MUSED'
(Other definitions for mused that I've seen before include "Reflected in silence" , "Fuddled" , "Closer" , "Was deep in thought" , "Contemplated" .)