Withstood a force (8)
I believe the answer is:
resisted
'withstood a force' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for resisted that I've seen before include "Struggled against" , "Withstood and provided opposition" , "Took stand with editress" , "Opposed, fought against" , "Stood firm against a force" .)