sheriff
Americannoun
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the law-enforcement officer of a county or other civil subdivision of a state.
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(formerly) an important civil officer in an English shire.
noun
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(in the US) the chief law-enforcement officer in a county: popularly elected, except in Rhode Island
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(in England and Wales) the chief executive officer of the Crown in a county, having chiefly ceremonial duties
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(in Scotland) a judge in any of the sheriff courts
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(in Australia) an administrative officer of the Supreme Court, who enforces judgments and the execution of writs, empanels juries, etc
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(in New Zealand) an officer of the High Court
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of sheriff
before 1050; Middle English sher ( r ) ef, Old English scīrgerēfa. See shire, reeve 1
Explanation
A sheriff is the top-ranking officer in a county police force. Unlike police in a city or town, the sheriff is an elected official. In most states, the sheriff serves a four-year term, and she oversees a department of police officers. A sheriff's job varies from state to state, but it generally includes enforcing the law, making arrests within the county, traffic control, prisoner transportation, and crime investigation. The Old English root word is scirgerefa, "representative of royal authority in a shire." Sheriff has been used in the United States since the 1600's.
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.
"The renewal and change is good, and I think we are going to see a new sheriff in town," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
His unfavorability, meanwhile, has stayed steady between 21% and 26% throughout his relatively scandal-free tenure as sheriff.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
The recent death of a contractor at a SpaceX facility in Texas has been ruled an accident, according to a case report from the county sheriff.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
The agency highlighted a project called summary case management, which is reducing the number of trials heard by judges in sheriff courts.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
White first recruited a former New Mexico sheriff, who, at fifty-six, became the oldest member of the team.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
