Fellow got older and coped (7)
I believe the answer is:
managed
'coped' is the definition.
('manage' can be a synonym of 'cope')
'fellow got older' is the wordplay.
'fellow' becomes 'man' (fellow can mean a man).
'got older' becomes 'aged' ('age' can be a synonym of 'get older').
'man'+'aged'='MANAGED'
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for managed that I've seen before include "Coped" , "Contrived" , "Ran, administered" , "Supervised (staff)" , "Controlled, was in charge of" .)