Continues in spite of opposition (8)
I believe the answer is:
persists
'continues in spite of opposition' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for persists that I've seen before include "Maintains a course against opposition" , "Soldiers on" , "Continues on a course in spite of opposition" , "Perseveres in spite of opposition" , "Continues in attitude or objection" .)