sheriff

noun

sher·​iff ˈsher-əf 

: an important official of a shire or county charged primarily with judicial duties (such as executing the processes and orders of courts and judges)

sheriffdom

ˈsher-əf-dəm 

-təm

noun

Examples of sheriff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The sheriff's chief financial officer, Bianka Brown, was also indicted on the same charges but on 20 counts. —Patrick Smith, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026

The sheriff's office said the other suspects consisted of individuals who allegedly traveled long distances to meet minors, brought items such as condoms or alcohol, or sent explicit messages and images during undercover communications. —Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026

The Will County sheriff’s office is investigating the death of a 2-month-old infant who was found unresponsive in his unincorporated Plainfield home earlier this week. —Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026

The crash remains under investigation by the sheriff’s office’s traffic safety unit, according to the agency. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English shirreve, from Old English scīrgerēfa, from scīr shire + gerēfa reeve — more at shire, reeve

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sheriff

• sherif
• tariff
• nontariff

Kids Definition

sheriff

noun

sher·​iff ˈsher-əf 

: an official of a county who is in charge of enforcing the law

Etymology

Middle English shirreve "sheriff," from Old English scīrgerēfa "sheriff," from scīr "shire, county" and gerēfa "a government agent"

Legal Definition

sheriff

noun

sher·​iff

: an official of a county or parish charged primarily with judicial duties (as executing the processes and orders of courts and judges)

Etymology

Old English scīrgerēfa, from scīr shire + gerēfa reeve (king's agent)