Word
bailiff
US/ˈbeɪɫəf/
UK/bˈeɪlɪf/
Definitions
01courtroom officer
n. an officer in a law court who keeps order and looks after the people in the room.
n. a court official responsible for maintaining order, guarding prisoners, and attending to the needs of the jury during a trial.
“The bailiff asked everyone in the courtroom to stand when the judge entered.”
“The bailiff escorted the witness to the stand and ensured that no unauthorised communication occurred during the jury's deliberation.”
American English
Usage
In the United States, this term specifically refers to the officer maintaining security within the courtroom.
02debt collector
n. a person who has the legal power to take away someone's property because they have not paid a debt.
n. a legal officer or agent authorised to seize goods or property in order to satisfy a court judgment or unpaid debt.
“The family was worried that a bailiff would come to take their car to pay the bills.”
“The court appointed a bailiff to recover the outstanding arrears by seizing assets of equivalent value from the debtor's premises.”
British English
Usage
In British English, this often refers to enforcement agents who collect debts or evict tenants.
Synonyms
03estate manager
n. a person who was in charge of a large farm or area of land for the owner.
n. a person employed to manage an estate or farm; an overseer or steward.
“In the old story, the bailiff looked after the lord's land while he was away.”
“The lord of the manor relied heavily on his bailiff to supervise the tenant farmers and ensure the annual harvest was recorded accurately.”
Archaic · Literary
Teaching tip
This sense is primarily found in historical novels or period dramas; modern speakers use 'estate manager' or 'land agent'.
04any debt collector
n. a casual name for anyone who tries to collect money you owe, even if they don't work for a court.
n. a generic, often derogatory term for any individual engaged in debt recovery, regardless of official legal standing.
“He was terrified that the bailiffs would show up at his door after he missed the payment.”
“The local residents often used the term 'bailiff' to describe any aggressive collector, even those operating without a formal warrant.”
British English · Slang · Informal
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Sarah Sackman, minister for courts and legal services, said bailiffs did an important job, but "with that responsibility must come high standards".” “Activities included occupying hostels, moving homeless families into empty houses, and battling with bailiffs.” Etymology
From Middle English baillif, baylyf, from Anglo-Norman and Old French bailif (plural bailis), probably from Vulgar Latin *bāiulivus (“castellan”), from Latin bāiulus (“porter; steward”), whence also bail. As a translation of foreign titles, semantic loan from French bailli, Scots bailie, Dutch baljuw, etc. Mostly replaced the role of native reeve. Doublet of bailo.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/bailiff