Tried to equal (8)
I believe the answer is:
emulated
'tried to equal' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for emulated that I've seen before include "Imitated" , "Tried to equal or copy" , "Rivalled" , "Tried hard to be as good as someone" , "Male duet strove to equal" .)