Strip, getting half nudged into river (6)
I believe the answer is:
denude
'strip' is the definition.
('denude' can be a synonym of 'strip')
'half nudged into river' is the wordplay.
'half' indicates taking half.
'into' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'river' becomes 'dee' (River Dee).
'nudged' cut in half is 'nud'.
'nud' placed into 'dee' is 'DENUDE'.
'getting' is the link.
(Other definitions for denude that I've seen before include "Strip cover from, as leaves from trees" , "Strip - expose" , "Put off covering" , "Uncover" , "Dundee (anag.)" .)