staff

noun \ ˈstaf \

Definition of staff

plural staffs play \ˈstafs, ˈstavz\ or staves play \ˈstavz, ˈstāvz\

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

b :a supporting rod: such as

(1) archaic :shaft 1a(1)

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

(3) :flagstaff

(4) :a pivoted arbor

c :club, cudgel

2 a :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

adjective

See staff defined for English-language learners

See staff defined for kids

Examples of staff in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of staff from the Web

What could be built, with or without the mixed use zoning, and how neighbors could be impacted was civilly discussed among residents, design group members, Hagey, and county staff.

— karen brainard, Ramona Sentinel, "Group encourages teamwork on Hagey property proposal," 30 Aug. 2017
Just a mere happiness quotient of the customers and staff isn’t enough.

— swansy afonso, Bloomberg.com, "The Battle for India's $45 Billion Gold Industry Has Begun," 29 Aug. 2017
Counseling services were made available to students and staff at the school Tuesday and will continue to be available as needed, a spokesman for the Diocese of Joliet said.

— alicia fabbre, Daily Southtown, "Joliet mom, twin daughters had gunshot wounds to head, coroner says," 29 Aug. 2017
After a discussion with the sports management staff and his coach, Matthews decided to retire from football to avoid the potential dangers that could come from playing.

— jesse newell, kansascity, "Heart screening on top recruit ‘probably saved his life,’ KU football coach says," 29 Aug. 2017
But within 4 months of learning of the Nature article, Gallimberti had bought a TMS device, trained himself and his staff to use it, and treated two cocaine addicts.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "Brain-altering magnetic pulses could zap cocaine addiction," 29 Aug. 2017
About two years ago, Jackie Faherty, a staff scientist at the American Museum of Natural History, decided to update Tombaugh’s technique for the digital age.

— jesse emspak, Smithsonian, "Astronomy Needs You: To Help in the Hunt for Planet 9," 28 Aug. 2017
Gorka's resignation comes on the heels of several other high profile White House administration staff in recent weeks and months, including Press Secretary Sean Spicer, Chief of Staff Reince Preibus and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.

— rachaell davis, Essence.com, "BREAKING: Trump Deputy Assistant Sebastian Gorka Resigns, Cites Opposition To New Afghanistan Strategy," 25 Aug. 2017
And within HHS, some of the department's top officials are notorious for an abstinence-only approach—like Valerie Huber, the chief of staff to the assistant secretary of health.

— maggie mallon, Glamour, "Yet Another Study Confirms Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Doesn't Work—But the Trump Administration Still Wants to Fund It," 25 Aug. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of staff

Middle English staf, from Old English stæf; akin to Old High German stab staff, Sanskrit stabhnāti he supports

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

staff Synonyms

Synonyms

help, labor force, manpower, personnel, pool, force, workforce

Related Words

labor, proletariat, rank and file; band, company, crew, gang, outfit, party, squad, team; employee (also employe), helper, hireling, worker; blood; support

staff

verb

Definition of staff

transitive verb

1 :to supply with a staff or with workers

2 :to serve as a staff member of

an organization staffed by volunteers

See staff defined for English-language learners

Examples of staff in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of staff from the Web

Those same businesses are left short-staffed when classes resume prior to the busy Labor Day weekend, the study concluded.

— emily richmond, The Atlantic, "How Academic Calendars Shape the Economy," 24 Aug. 2017
San Diego’s crime rate has remained low despite the vacancy problem, but there is less proactive policing, investigators are facing intense workloads and response times are longer than if the department were fully staffed.

— david garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego boosting efforts to solve worsening police officer shortage," 10 Aug. 2017
More than 250 volunteers will staff this year’s event, Wilber said.

— sue kiesewetter, Cincinnati.com, "Union Center Food Truck Rally benefits combat veterans," 10 Aug. 2017
Trump has been unable to keep certain key positions properly staffed, and the White House has turned into a revolving door for personnel and many positions throughout the government remain unfilled.

— cindy otis, Teen Vogue, "9 Ways Trump Has Endangered National Security," 9 Aug. 2017
The NSC is typically staffed by its own employees plus those dispatched from other agencies, who can provide expertise and also advocate for their agencies’ priorities.

— nick wadhams, Bloomberg.com, "Tillerson Relents on Lending His Staff to the White House," 27 July 2017
Some volunteers also staff the Neighborhood Watch office, open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Tuesday on the Rancho Bernardo Library’s second-floor, 17110 Bernardo Center Drive.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "National Night Out events planned for Tuesday," 27 July 2017
Around 360,000 officials have been hired and trained to staff them and oversee the count.

— The Economist, "How to unrig an electionNew methods and technology can make elections fairer," 20 July 2017
While other cities have sworn, armed airport police officers, in Chicago, the airports are staffed by 200 armed city police officers and 300 unarmed aviation officers.

— don babwin, The Courier-Journal, "Chicago police to lead response to airport disturbances moving forward," 12 July 2017

First Known Use of staff

1859

STAFF Defined for English Language Learners

staff

noun

Definition of staff for English Language Learners

: a group of people who work for an organization or business
: a group of military officers who help a commanding officer but who do not take part in active fighting
: a long stick that you carry in your hand for support while walking