The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word EPEE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
P
E
E
More clues leading to the result EPEE
- It’s used in fencing sheep, evenly erected
- Life peer’s self-protection?
- Sword Europeans found outside gym
- Foil for riposte? It's between sublime and peerless
- Go after earl with a sword
- Point and slash sword
- Weapon that somehow combines power and lots of energy
- Top four sections fallen from fence? Go to get fencing tool!
- It’s used to fence bounds of estate hosting games
- It’s used in fencing partly to keep ewes back
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Sword" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sword = epee.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does EPEE mean?
EPEE noun- A sharp-pointed dueling sword with a bell-shaped guard, used (with the end blunted) in sport fencing.