sheriff

American  

[sher-if] / ˈʃɛr ɪf /

noun

1. the law-enforcement officer of a county or other civil subdivision of a state.

2. (formerly) an important civil officer in an English shire.

---

sheriff British  

/ ˈʃɛrɪf /

noun

1. (in the US) the chief law-enforcement officer in a county: popularly elected, except in Rhode Island

2. (in England and Wales) the chief executive officer of the Crown in a county, having chiefly ceremonial duties

3. (in Scotland) a judge in any of the sheriff courts

4. (in Australia) an administrative officer of the Supreme Court, who enforces judgments and the execution of writs, empanels juries, etc

5. (in New Zealand) an officer of the High Court

---

Other Word Forms

• sheriffdom noun
• subsheriff noun

Etymology

Origin of sheriff

before 1050; Middle English sher ( r ) ef, Old English scīrgerēfa. See shire, reeve ¹

Example Sentences

A sheriff’s air rescue team recovered the bodies at about 2 p.m. the following afternoon.

From Los Angeles Times

The sheriff's office said it had rescued five other hikers from the mountain in the previous five days.

From BBC

According to a news release from the San Bernardino County sheriff’s department, the couple faked the story about their son being kidnapped.

From Los Angeles Times

A sheriff’s air rescue team spotted the injured hiker, along with two other unidentified people, from a helicopter but strong winds made it unsafe to carry out a rescue, the release states.

From Los Angeles Times

She normally goes on a morning walk, but her mother became concerned when she did not come home at a reasonable time, the sheriff's office said.

From BBC