Except broken vase (4)
I believe the answer is:
save
'except' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'broken vase' is the wordplay.
'broken' indicates an anagram.
'vase' with letters rearranged gives 'SAVE'.
(Other definitions for save that I've seen before include "Be economical" , "Rescue; store" , "Rescue for a rainy day?" , "Bar" , "Retain" .)