Compassion makes me cry perhaps (5)
I believe the answer is:
mercy
'compassion' is the definition.
(I know that mercy is a type of compassion)
'me cry perhaps' is the wordplay.
'perhaps' indicates an anagram.
'cry' is an anagram of 'rcy'.
'me'+'rcy'='MERCY'
'makes' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for mercy that I've seen before include "Leniency and compassion towards offenders" , "Pity" , "Forbearance" , "Compassion or forgiveness" , "Shakespeare 'The quality of . . . . . is not strained'" .)