Tom comes up to provide a saying (5)
I believe the answer is:
motto
'a saying' is the definition.
(I know that motto is a type of saying)
'tom comes up to' is the wordplay.
'comes up' is a reversal indicator.
'tom' in reverse letter order is 'mot'.
'mot'+'to'='MOTTO'
'provide' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for motto that I've seen before include "Part of coat of arms" , "Catchcry, slogan" , "Saw" , "Recurring musical phrase" , "Brief guiding rule" .)