A little sun-beam (6)
I believe the answer is:
slight
'a little' is the definition.
(I know that little can be written as slight)
'sun-beam' is the wordplay.
'sun' becomes 'S' (abbreviation).
'beam' becomes 'light beam' (synonyms).
's'+'light'='SLIGHT'
(Other definitions for slight that I've seen before include "Barely perceptible" , "Insubstantial; discourtesy" , "Small, snub" , "Small in degree; insult" , "Minor -- snub" .)