Such charges may be dropped (5)

I believe the answer is:

depth

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'such charges may' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't understand how one could define the other.

I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for depth that I've seen before include "Military life; vulgarly artificial" , "Measure" , "Measurement from front to back" , "Intensity; profundity" , "Downward extent" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard and The Globe and Mail.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.