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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Thirty minutes later, I was in the 1970s version of Sheriff Andy Taylor’s office from ”The Andy Griffith Show.”
From Salon • Jul. 3, 2026
“We are grateful that our deputy sustained non-life-threatening injuries and will be returning home to their loved ones,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2026
She served as a juror earlier this year in Paisley Sheriff Court in Scotland.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
They had been gathering here their whole lives, Sheriff said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Who says Sheriff Ocasek is right that the “perp” has to be a kid?
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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.
