Cry after striking husband's hooter (3)
I believe the answer is:
owl
'hooter' is the definition.
(owls hoot)
'cry after striking husband's' is the wordplay.
'cry' becomes 'howl' (to howl is to cry out).
'after striking' indicates named letters should be taken away (strike can mean to remove).
'husband' becomes 'h' (abbreviation).
'howl' with 'h' taken away is 'OWL'.
(Other definitions for owl that I've seen before include "Night hunter" , "paragon of wisdom?" , "Wise old night-flier" , "Solemn person" , "Traditionally wise bird" .)