Young man called out for lift (4)
I believe the answer is:
buoy
'for lift' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'young man called out' is the wordplay.
'young man' becomes 'boy' (a boy is a male child).
'called out' shows a homophone (sound like).
'boy' sounds like 'BUOY'.
(Other definitions for buoy that I've seen before include "To raise" , "Marine float" , "Anchored floater" , "Floating item often marking a hazard" , "Warning floater" .)