Were old, abused and let down (7)
I believe the answer is:
lowered
'let down' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'were old abused' is the wordplay.
'abused' indicates anagramming the letters.
'were'+'old'='wereold'
'wereold' with letters rearranged gives 'LOWERED'.
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for lowered that I've seen before include "Threatened" , "Moved something down" , "looked sullen" , "Moved downwards" , "Let down gently" .)