bailiff
Americannoun
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bailiffs
plural
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an officer, similar to a sheriff or a sheriff's deputy, employed to execute writs and processes, make arrests, keep order in the court, etc.
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(in Britain) a person charged with local administrative authority, or the chief magistrate in certain towns.
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(especially in Britain) an overseer of a landed estate or farm.
noun
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the agent or steward of a landlord or landowner
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a sheriff's officer who serves writs and summonses, makes arrests, and ensures that the sentences of the court are carried out
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(formerly) a high official having judicial powers
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an official having custody of prisoners appearing in court
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of bailiff
1250–1300; Middle English baillif < Old French, equivalent to bail custody ( see bail 1) + -if -ive
Explanation
A bailiff is an officer of the court. A bailiff has duties such as making arrests and maintaining order in court. This legal officer has a different job depending on the country: in the US, a bailiff is a kind of court usher and security guard. In the UK, bailiffs carry out writs and execute repossession orders. In all cases, the bailiff serves a higher authority: the court. This may be because the word was first used for officers of the king, including sheriffs and mayors. As democratic authorities replaced monarchies, the concept of the bailiff evolved.
Vocabulary lists containing bailiff
Just Mercy
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Born a Crime
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Crispin: The Cross of Lead
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Questioned by Hedrick in a 2016 hearing, Baumgartner’s longtime bailiff explained that during Leath’s trial she had taken to reaching back to slam the door behind her to rouse the judge from his sleep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
McKillen’s lawyers told the Irish Times that their client “vigorously denies any violence or any wrongdoing” against the bailiff and claimed the allegations against him were “false.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025
Some of the people who worked with Ferguson — including his bailiff and his clerk — took the witness stand to say he was a “peaceful” person.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2025
"All the way through all of this, I keep having phone calls from the alleged bailiff wanting me to tell him that I had sent the money," he said.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2025
The bailiff knocked at the door to the judge’s chambers, then opened it and said that the sheriff was present on business he wished to keep private.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
They have also long campaigned for councils to stop the use of bailiffs and threats of court action and prison, arguing that it stops people seeking help for non-payment.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
In South Carolina governance, the clerk of the court job—organizing juries, bailiffs and handling evidence—is an elected position.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
More than 11,000 households in England had their homes repossessed by bailiffs following a Section 21 "no-fault" eviction in the year to June 2025.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
In December 2023, bailiffs alerted police after going to repossess the premises on Nobes Avenue because of unpaid debts.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
His mother reaches forward and tries to console him, but the bailiffs step in between them.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
