Cut the ends off fruit (5)
I believe the answer is:
prune
'cut' is the definition.
(I know that cut is a action)
'ends off fruit' is the wordplay.
'ends off' means to remove the last letter (I've seen 'ending off' mean this (the letter which ends the word is removed)).
'fruit' becomes 'prunes'.
'prunes' with its last letter taken away is 'PRUNE'.
'the' is the link.
(Other definitions for prune that I've seen before include "Shrivelled fruit" , "Dull person" , "Cut back the dried plum" , "Trim - dried fruit" , "A fruit; to cut back" .)