Word.ws English Dictionary

there is a new sheriff in town

there is a new sheriff in town phrase: a new individual has come to power and will be making changes.

Phrase

there is a new sheriff in town

  1. (idiomatic) A new individual has come to power and will be making changes.

Origin of there is a new sheriff in town

Meant to evoke the image of a traditional Southern or Western U.S. town having a new sheriff come to power and shake things up for the town.

Questions about there is a new sheriff in town

What does there is a new sheriff in town mean?
There is a new sheriff in town means a new individual has come to power and will be making changes.
What part of speech is there is a new sheriff in town?
There is a new sheriff in town is a phrase.

Words near there is a new sheriff in town in the dictionary

  1. there has been
  2. there have been
  3. there having been
  4. there is
  5. there is a lid for every pot
  6. there is a new sheriff in town
  7. there is a place and time for everything
  8. there is a time and a place for everything
  9. there is a time and place for everything
  10. there is an exception to every rule
  11. there is no "there" there

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: there is a new sheriff in town (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-there is a new sheriff in town.ogg.

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