sheriff

The word “sheriff” means an elected or appointed official responsible for law enforcement and running the county jail in a US county. In plain terms, a law enforcement or judicial official tied to a county or shire, with different exact roles in the US, UK, and Scotland.

“Sheriff” is pronounced SHEH-rihf (/ˈʃɛɹɪf/ in IPA).

Here is “sheriff” used in a sentence: “The sheriff organized a search party after the storm.”

“Sheriff” is a noun.

The word “sheriff” comes from Old English. From Old English scirgerefa, combining scir ("shire") and gerefa ("reeve," an official) — literally "shire-reeve." Despite the similar sound, it has no historical connection to the Arabic-derived word Sharif.

“Sheriff” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Sheriff” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an elected or appointed official responsible for law enforcement and running the county jail in a US county.

In the US, a "sheriff" is usually an elected official responsible for law enforcement across a whole county and for running the county jail. A police officer typically works for a city or town department within that wider area.

No. In the US, a "sheriff" is a county law-enforcement official who often runs the jail. In the UK, a sheriff is an official of a shire or county responsible for enforcing court orders and other legal duties, not day-to-day policing.

In the US, a "sheriff" may be either elected by voters or appointed, depending on the county. This is a key way the role differs from most other police leadership positions.

A "sheriff" is generally a county-level official handling local law enforcement and the county jail. A marshal often operates at a different level, such as a court or federal jurisdiction, so the two cover different areas of authority.