Wife rings court (3)
I believe the answer is:
woo
'court' is the definition.
(both can mean to romance someone)
'wife rings' is the wordplay.
'wife' becomes 'w' (abbreviation).
'rings' becomes 'oo' (two O's - O resembles a ring).
'w'+'oo'='WOO'
(Other definitions for woo that I've seen before include "Do courting" , "Court, seek to marry" , "Court; importune" , "Court a lady" , "Pay court to" .)