Poke softly with a stick (4)
I believe the answer is:
prod
'poke' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'softly with a stick' is the wordplay.
'softly' becomes 'p'.
'with' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'a stick' becomes 'rod' (I've seen this before).
'p'+'rod'='PROD'
(Other definitions for prod that I've seen before include "Poke or spur" , "Poke with stiff finger to urge" , "Induce action (with stick etc?)" , "Drop (anag.)" , "Urge or stimulate" .)