Wading bird, for example, to soak (5)
I believe the answer is:
egret
'wading bird' is the definition.
(egret is a kind of wading bird)
'example to soak' is the wordplay.
'example' becomes 'eg'.
'to soak' becomes 'ret' (retting is a kind of soaking).
'eg'+'ret'='EGRET'
'for' is the link.
(Other definitions for egret that I've seen before include "Kind of heron with long white feathers" , "Kind of white heron - greet it" , "flier" , "Type of heron" , "Long-plumed heron" .)