sheriff court

British

noun

(in Scotland) a court having jurisdiction to try summarily or on indictment all but the most serious crimes and to deal with most civil actions

"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

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 sheriff court hearing into the incident heard that the boilers at the school had been tested in 2018 - with an earlier service taking place in 2017.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2025

Cars were seen navigating the flood water on West Marketgait, close to the city's sheriff court.

From BBC • Aug. 14, 2025

Lawyers for Trump International Golf Course Scotland claimed in Edinburgh sheriff court that police witness statements from the staff who took the photos could not be released.

From The Guardian • Mar. 9, 2017

The long-distance runner, who won 10,000-metre gold at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, left Arbroath's sheriff court in tears on Thursday.

From The Guardian • Aug. 4, 2011

Offences against the game laws are not triable by justices of the peace, but only in the sheriff court.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 4 "G" to "Gaskell, Elizabeth" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023