there is a new sheriff in town

phrase

A new individual has come to power and will be making changes.

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Meanings

phrase
  1. idiomaticA new individual has come to power and will be making changes.

Origin

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.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

there is a new sheriff in town. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/there%20is%20a%20new%20sheriff%20in%20town

MLA

“there is a new sheriff in town.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/there%20is%20a%20new%20sheriff%20in%20town. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “there is a new sheriff in town,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/there%20is%20a%20new%20sheriff%20in%20town.

Source: there is a new sheriff in town on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.