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 Dane County Sheriff's Office is not involved in the search, the sheriff's office told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. —Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 23 Nov. 2025

McFadden came onto the scene as a first-time sheriff in 2018, but quickly gained a profile on the national level, Jonathan Thompson, executive director and CEO of the National Sheriff’s Association, told CNN. —Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 22 Nov. 2025

The sheriff noted that Halberstam, who previously had a narcotics charge in 2006 and a misdemeanor charge out of Virginia in 2015, was also injured in the incident and was transported to the hospital in critical condition. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025

The remains were transferred to the Nevada County sheriff’s coroner’s division for further examination. —Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 22 Nov. 2025

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)