Strike with an axe (3)
I believe the answer is:
hew
'strike with an axe' is the definition.
(synonyms)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for hew that I've seen before include "Chop; sounds like colour" , "Carve out of wood or stone" , "Shape wood, as with an axe" , "Carve with axe" , "Cut with blows" .)