staff

noun

\ ˈstaf

plural staffs\ ˈstafs

, ˈstavz \ or staves\ ˈstavz

, ˈstāvz \

Definition of staff

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a long stick carried in the hand for support in walking

b : a supporting rod: such as

(1) archaic : shaft sense 1a(1)

(2) : a crosspiece in a ladder or chair : rung

(3) : flagstaff

(4) : a pivoted arbor

c : club, cudgel

2a : crosier

b : a rod carried as a symbol of office or authority

3 : the horizontal lines with their spaces on which music is written

— called also stave

4 : any of various graduated sticks or rules used for measuring : rod

5 plural staffs

a : the officers chiefly responsible for the internal operations of an institution or business

b : a group of officers appointed to assist a civil executive or commanding officer

c : military or naval officers not eligible for operational command

d : the personnel who assist a director in carrying out an assigned task

e plural staff : a member of a staff employs three full-time staff

staff

verb

staffed; staffing; staffs

Definition of staff (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to supply with a staff or with workers

2 : to serve as a staff member of an organization staffed by volunteers

Other Words from staff Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about staff

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of staff in a Sentence

Noun

The entire staff has done a great job this year. The staff is at a meeting. She's a new member of the staff. The general's staff is planning the army's next move.

Verb

We'll need 300 workers to properly staff the hotel. the 300 workers who staff the hotel

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

These rules come several weeks after Hello magazine reported that Kensington Palace staff are spending hours each week combatting attacks on the Duchess of Sussex and Cambridge. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "The British Royal Family Issues Social Media Guidelines to Prevent Online Abuse," 4 Mar. 2019 City staff are also checking in with Aging and Disability Services clients who are home-bound or have mobility issues and may require additional help during the storm, Johnson said. — Paige Cornwell, The Seattle Times, "Fresh snow arrives in Seattle, closing region’s schools again," 11 Feb. 2019 The ban was confirmed by the online customer service portal of the Tibet Youth International Travel Service, as well as staff at the Tibet Vista and Go to Tibet travel agencies. — Christopher Bodeen, The Seattle Times, "China closes Tibet to foreigners for sensitive anniversaries," 19 Feb. 2019 And in 2012 and 2013, House Republicans stepped in to freeze pay for both federal workers and congressional staff. — Amanda Sakuma, Vox, "Trump orders federal pay freeze for 2019," 30 Dec. 2018 There's no real plan and no more rules and no more staff or schedules. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "What It's Like to Lose in the Year of the Woman," 21 Dec. 2018 Not to mention, the home has not one, not two, but six fireplaces, a huge chef's kitchen, and staff rooms. — Maya Mcdowell, House Beautiful, "The 1920s New York Mansion of the Vanderbilts Is for Sale," 2 Feb. 2019 Meghan would have been left well alone for the duration of the long haul flight, as Kensington Palace reportedly sent a letter to Air Canada staff beforehand, requesting no pictures or approaches from the public during Meghan’s travels. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Meghan Markle Spent Her Solo Flight to Toronto Sipping on Champagne and Watching a Romantic Movie," 3 Sep. 2018 Mental health first-aid training for shelter staff is to be completed by the end of 2019. — Melanie Grayce West, WSJ, "New York City Tries to Link Nexus of Doctors Serving the Homeless," 26 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

All schools remained open and staffed by administrators, substitutes and teachers not participating in the strike. — Colleen Slevin, The Seattle Times, "Denver teachers, officials negotiate to try to end strike," 12 Feb. 2019 The group surrendered themselves to agents near Camp Bounds, a base along the New Mexico border staffed by small groups of agents on rotations from official Border Patrol offices. — Dara Lind, Vox, "The death of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin in Border Patrol custody isn’t an isolated outrage," 18 Dec. 2018 In the latest sign that the future is looking rosy for the music business, Warner Music Group is launching a new standalone record company to be staffed by a mix of WMG employees and new hires. — Hannah Karp, Billboard, "Warner Music to Launch New 60-Person Record Company, Elektra Music Group," 18 June 2018 But after 9/11, airlines lost money, and staffing cuts led to carriers only staffing the minimum. — Aditi Shrikant, Vox, "Why airlines make you check your carry-on bags," 20 Dec. 2018 The homes sometimes anticipated when an inspection would happen and could staff up before it. — Jordan Rau, Washington Post, "‘Like A Ghost Town’: Erratic Nursing Home Staffing Revealed Through New Records," 13 July 2018 The homes sometimes anticipated when an inspection would happen and could staff up before it. — Jordan Rau, sandiegouniontribune.com, "‘It’s almost like a ghost town.’ Most nursing homes overstated staffing for years," 11 July 2018 Building a new prison would cost about $300 million, and staffing one would cost millions of dollars a year on top of that. — Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Democrats running for governor call for slashing prison population," 5 July 2018 Rankings are based on measures such as clinical outcomes, mortality and infection rates, staffing adequacy and compliance with best practices, to name a few. — Ashley May, USA TODAY, "Best children's hospitals of 2018 ranked by U.S. News & World Report," 26 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'staff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.