Second best editor cried (8)
I believe the answer is:
screamed
'cried' is the definition.
('scream' can be a synonym of 'cry')
'second best editor' is the wordplay.
'second' becomes 's' (common abbreviation).
'best' becomes 'cream' (as in 'the cream of the crop').
'editor' becomes 'ed' (abbreviation).
's'+'cream'+'ed'='SCREAMED'
(Other definitions for screamed that I've seen before include "Yelled" , "Cried out in a loud high-pitched voice" , "Uttered a loud, high-pitched cry" , "Utter a loud, high-pitched cry" , "Shrieked" .)