Take in sailors, having a ball (6)
I believe the answer is:
absorb
'take in' is the definition.
('absorb' can be a synonym of 'take in')
'sailors having a ball' is the wordplay.
'sailors' becomes 'abs' (I've seen this in other clues).
'having' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'a ball' becomes 'orb' ('orb' can be a synonym of 'ball'**).
'abs'+'orb'='ABSORB'
(Other definitions for absorb that I've seen before include "Draw in, knowledge or food" , "Grip" , "Understand" , "Take or drink in" , "Take in, water or knowledge" .)