Starts to take hold after winter? This may (4)
I believe the answer is:
thaw
'may' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't see how they can define each other.
'starts to take hold after winter?' is the wordplay.
'starts to' indicates taking the first letters.
The initial letters of 'take hold after winter' is 'THAW'.
'this' is the link.
(Other definitions for thaw that I've seen before include "Unfreeze, defrost" , "Morse actor; melt" , "De-ice" , "end of the winter?" , "Frost going" .)