Search could make son cry (5)
I believe the answer is:
sweep
'search' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'son cry' is the wordplay.
'son' becomes 's' (genealogical abbreviation for son).
'cry' becomes 'weep' (synonyms).
's'+'weep'='SWEEP'
'could make' is the link.
(Other definitions for sweep that I've seen before include "do cleaning" , "Brush dirt off" , "Clean by brushing" , "Gamble - with brush!" , "Raffle" .)