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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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

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.