bailiff

noun

bai·liff | \ ˈbā-ləf

\

Definition of bailiff

1a : an official employed by a British sheriff to serve writs and make arrests and executions

b : a minor officer of some U.S. courts usually serving as a messenger or usher

2 chiefly British : one who manages an estate or farm

Other Words from bailiff Example Sentences Learn More about bailiff

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of bailiff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Navalny said the formal reason for barring him from leaving Russia was a bailiffs ruling, dated Friday to collect 2.1 million rubles ($31,000) from him in damages in a civil lawsuit against a timber company. — Nataliya Vasilyeva, The Seattle Times, "Russian opposition leader Navalny barred from leaving Russia," 13 Nov. 2018 Nevertheless, Samples attended and graduated from the University of Akron before working as a paralegal and bailiff. — Seth A. Richardson, cleveland.com, "Dennis Kucinich chooses Akron city councilwoman as running mate," 19 Jan. 2018 DeAngelo stood stone-faced and ramrod straight in a courtroom cage, never looking at the courtroom packed with survivors, relatives, reporters and at least a half-dozen armed bailiffs. — Fox News, "Golden State Killer suspect faces consolidated charges," 23 Aug. 2018 He was stopped by border guards and told that a ruling by court bailiffs over an unpaid fine had barred him from leaving Russia. — Nataliya Vasilyeva, The Seattle Times, "Russian opposition leader Navalny barred from leaving Russia," 13 Nov. 2018 Pinter is currently being investigated for making threats toward or about other bailiffs at the main courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. — Linda Trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Bailiff whose 67 guns were seized was disciplined twice before," 8 June 2018 To ensure that jurors could leave safely, more than 15 bailiffs were present in the courtroom, the Dallas Morning News reported. — Bradford Betz, Fox News, "Aryan Brotherhood leader gets life in power-drill murder over $600 dispute," 9 June 2018 Judge Kovach's staff and the court bailiff notified that prospective jurors had filled the courtroom, leaving no room for any other members of the public including media. — Beau Evans, NOLA.com, "Possible jurors quizzed in Joe McKnight trial opening day," 16 Jan. 2018 For Broward court bailiff Roger DeHart, a journey of 1,065 miles began with a single cause: to raise awareness about human trafficking. — Rafael Olmeda, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Broward bailiff takes first steps in his battle against human trafficking," 6 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bailiff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for bailiff

bailiff

noun

English Language Learners Definition of bailiff

: an officer in a court of law who helps the judge control the people in the courtroom

: someone hired by a sheriff to bring legal documents to people and to take away possessions when people cannot pay for them

: someone who manages the land and property of another person

See the full definition for bailiff in the English Language Learners Dictionary

bailiff

noun

bai·liff | \ ˈbā-ləf

\

Legal Definition of bailiff

: an officer of some courts in the U.S. whose duties usually include keeping order in the courtroom and guarding prisoners or jurors in deliberation

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

teetotaler

someone who never drinks alcohol

Test Your Vocabulary

Homophone Quiz

In order to judge how people felt, the senator's office hired a firm to take a ______.

pol poal
pole poll

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games