A penny from, as a tip! (4)
I believe the answer is:
apex
'a tip' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'a penny from' is the wordplay.
'penny' becomes 'p'.
'from' becomes 'ex'.
'a'+'p'+'ex'='APEX'
'as' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for apex that I've seen before include "The highest point or pointed end" , "Topmost point" , "Culmination" , "crown" , "Acme" .)