sheriff

American  

[sher-if] / ˈʃɛr ɪf /

noun

• sheriffs
  plural

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sheriffdom
  noun
• subsheriff
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sheriffs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of sheriff

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

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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

See Examples For:

sheriff sheriffs

Pishko explains the story of Aaron Spencer, a 38-year-old Army veteran who was nearly put on trial for murdering a man but is now running for local sheriff.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

The sheriff responded that deputies had conducted brief and routine polling place visits for years.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

A sheriff will instead hear evidence in the case and determine whether there are grounds for a conviction.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The sheriff, now awaiting the delivery of two new squad cars that will be paid for with DHS funds, couldn’t be happier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

After the incident, in which five men were badly injured, Emmett White became a firm, even unyielding, sheriff.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

County sheriffs requested assistance from the California Highway Patrol, the driver led a fleet of law enforcement vehicles on a 40-minute journey of South L.A.’s surface streets and highways.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Louisiana passed a strict mug shot law in 2022 involving nonviolent charges, but largely repealed it when some sheriffs called it unworkable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Five West Texas sheriffs likewise wrote to federal officials saying advanced surveillance technology would be better suited to stopping undocumented migration in the rugged terrain.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Back in the 13th Century, there was a law that said local sheriffs should not receive "for favour borne to such misdoers".

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

Jackie had called the sheriffs office because she needed a copy of the police report from the accident to process Jim’s life insurance policy.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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