staff

1 of 2

noun

plural staffs ˈstafs How to pronounce staff (audio)
ˈstavz
or staves ˈstavz How to pronounce staff (audio)
ˈstāvz
1
a
: 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)
(4)
: a pivoted arbor
c
2
a
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

staff

2 of 2

verb

staffed; staffing; staffs

transitive verb

1
: to supply with a staff or with workers
2
: to serve as a staff member of
an organization staffed by volunteers

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
The staff members include the fire chief, two deputy chiefs, three lieutenants and nine firefighters, some of whom are also paramedics. The Enquirer, 9 Mar. 2024 These are staff members who leave a company and rejoin the ranks at a later date. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024 The recount should be over by the end of the day Monday, a commission staff member said. Doug Thompson, arkansasonline.com, 9 Mar. 2024 She was helped to the bench with her arms draped over the shoulders of two team staff members. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Both will stay on at V’s Paradise for three or four months, developing the menu while training staff members to replace them, Bond said. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024 Every mega-gallery in New York is often represented by at least one staff member at the gatherings, which are organized via WhatsApp and typically held every five or six months. Julia Halperin, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 This space would be ideal for a live-in staff member, or for an extended family member, guests or as a deluxe work-from-home office space. James McClain, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024 By the end of this month, the campaign expects to expand from 100 staff members in seven battleground states to more than 350, while also opening more than 100 field offices. Will Weissert, The Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Local residencies are offering pathways in areas like special education and bilingual education that are especially difficult to staff. Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 The Pentagon oversees the White House medical team, which is staffed by career military medical personnel and has become the focus of several investigations in the wake of Jackson’s tenure. Alex Horton, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 The Postal Service will host several job fairs this month at its Wanamaker Post Office Branch, 7950 Southeastern Ave., to staff the center. Jen Guadarrama, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the program, estimates a pay hike would not have a huge effect on the number of children served because so many programs already struggle to staff all their classrooms. Moriah Balingit, Quartz, 3 Mar. 2024 The financial moves, though legal, ultimately spelled doom for the century-old Delaware County Memorial Hospital, which was forced to shut its doors after Pennsylvania's health department deemed the facility inadequately staffed. Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024 The initiative is staffed by many of the same people who initially started canvassing as part of the 2020 Census count. Nicole Leonard | Whyy, NPR, 26 Feb. 2024 Governments tend to be staffed by capable, intelligent people many of whom share a deep sense of civic duty. Richard Attias, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2024 The new hospital is thoughtfully designed to create a calming and welcoming environment for both owner and pet, and staffed with an experienced team of veterinary professionals who are part of the Inspire team and have been serving the local community for years. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'staff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1859, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of staff was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near staff

Cite this Entry

“Staff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/staff. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

staff

1 of 2 noun
plural staffs ˈstafs How to pronounce staff (audio)
ˈstavz
or staves ˈstavz How to pronounce staff (audio)
ˈstāvz
1
a
: a pole, stick, rod, or bar used as a support or as a sign of authority
a flag hanging limp on its staff
b
: the long handle of a weapon (as a lance or pike)
2
: something that is a source of strength
bread is the staff of life
3
: the five horizontal lines and the spaces between them on which music is written
4
plural staffs
a
: a group of persons serving as assistants to or employees under a chief
a hospital staff
b
: military officers who assist a commanding officer in planning and management but who do not take part in actual combat
staff adjective

staff

2 of 2 verb
: to supply with a staff or with workers

Medical Definition

staff

noun
: the doctors and surgeons regularly attached to a hospital and helping to determine its policies and guide its activities

More from Merriam-Webster on staff

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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