Shortly to get wife to faint (5)
I believe the answer is:
swoon
'to faint' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'shortly to get wife' is the wordplay.
'shortly' becomes 'soon' (synonyms).
'to get' indicates putting letters inside.
'wife' becomes 'w' (abbreviation).
'soon' going around 'w' is 'SWOON'.
(Other definitions for swoon that I've seen before include "Pass out" , "Show ecstasy" , "experience ecstasy" , "Fall fainting" , "Lose consciousness" .)