sheriff
sheriff Lexical Profile
sheriff Game Scores & Validity
• noun
American An elected official who serves as the chief law enforcement officer of a county, responsible for maintaining peace, executing court orders, and managing the county jail.
"The county sheriff coordinated the search and rescue operation across the mountain range."
British The chief executive officer of the Crown in a county or city in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having mainly ceremonial and administrative duties.
"The high sheriff attended the royal reception alongside other local dignitaries."
Scottish A professional judge who presides over civil and criminal cases in a sheriff court in Scotland.
"After hearing the evidence, the sheriff adjourned the trial until the following morning."
Word Nuance & Usage
Commonly misspelled as "sherrif" or "sherriff"; the correct spelling has one 'r' and two 'f's.
• Rhymes for sheriff
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English "shirreve", derived from Old English "scirgerefa", a compound of "scir" (shire or administrative district) and "gerefa" (reeve or chief magistrate).