Be a follower of former spouse? (5)
I believe the answer is:
exist
'be' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'a follower of former spouse?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'follower' could be 'ist' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'ist' is present in the answer.
'former' could be 'ex' (prefix meaning former or onetime) and 'ex' is present in the answer.
No letters remain.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for exist that I've seen before include "Have objective reality" , "quick!" , "Have being or continue living" , "Be alive" , "Subsist" .)