Peel fruit, we're told (4)
I believe the answer is:
pare
'peel' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'fruit we're told' is the wordplay.
'fruit' becomes 'pear' (pear is a kind of fruit).
'we're told' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'pear' sounds like 'PARE'.
(Other definitions for pare that I've seen before include "Trim by cutting" , "Trim by slicing" , "Cut down gradually" , "Shave, say, pencil" , "Remove the skin from" .)