: an important official of a shire or county charged primarily with judicial duties (such as executing the processes and orders of courts and judges)
Examples of sheriff in a Sentence
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Those agencies are the Wisconsin State Patrol, the New York State Police, the Newark Police Department, the sheriff's offices in California's San Diego and Orange counties, the Colorado State Patrol, and the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
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Chris Hacker, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2025
The sheriff’s office and an arrest warrant said Smith shut the cats in a bedroom and didn’t check on them or give them water for a week and a half.
—Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 19 Mar. 2025
Today, the participating agencies include the Highway Patrol, the sheriff’s office in Miami-Dade, Monroe and Hillsborough counties and local police departments in Coral Gables, Tampa and St. Petersburg.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 19 Mar. 2025
On March 12, the sheriff's office said the remains were identified as Sangrait and that authorities were investigating the case as a homicide.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
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Chris Hacker, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2025
The sheriff’s office and an arrest warrant said Smith shut the cats in a bedroom and didn’t check on them or give them water for a week and a half.
—Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 19 Mar. 2025
Today, the participating agencies include the Highway Patrol, the sheriff’s office in Miami-Dade, Monroe and Hillsborough counties and local police departments in Coral Gables, Tampa and St. Petersburg.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 19 Mar. 2025
On March 12, the sheriff's office said the remains were identified as Sangrait and that authorities were investigating the case as a homicide.
—Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sheriff
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Cite this Entry
“Sheriff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sheriff. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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"
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