Bow for wife (4)
I believe the answer is:
prow
'bow' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'for wife' is the wordplay.
'for' becomes 'pro' (I've seen this before).
'wife' becomes 'w'.
'pro'+'w'='PROW'
(Other definitions for prow that I've seen before include "position of figurehead" , "Pointed front part of a ship" , "Front of boat" , "Boat's bow" , "Bow of a ship" .)