Was charged with detective (5)

I believe the answer is:

lived

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'was' is the definition.
(to live is to be)

'charged with detective' is the wordplay.
'charged' becomes 'live' (I've seen this in other clues).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'detective' becomes 'd' (this might be a standard abbreviation I've not previously seen).
'live'+'d'='LIVED'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lived that I've seen before include "Existed or dwelt" , "Escaped destruction" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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