staff

1 of 2

noun

ˈstaf 

plural staffs ˈstafs 

ˈstavz

or staves

ˈstavz,

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)

: 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

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

Synonyms

Noun

• workforce
• manpower
• personnel
• pool
• crew

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 documentary crew that immortalized Dunder Mifflin’s branch in Scranton, Pa., have found new subjects in the offshoot, still set in the world of paper: the eclectic staff of The Truth Teller, a historic Midwestern newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, well past its glory days. —EW.com, 7 Aug. 2025

In his note to staff, Hill-Edgar reminisced about being a young associate at Shearman & Sterling who in 2000 was invited to join Viacom after working on the Viacom/CBS merger. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2025

Verb

Two of the four private vendors who staff FEMA call centers, Maximus and General Dynamics Information Technology, referred NPR's questions to FEMA. —Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 7 Aug. 2025

This boils down to a huge portion of providers’ budgets, between around 70% and 80% on average, getting eaten up by staffing costs. —Beki San Martin, Freep.com, 7 Aug. 2025

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

Phrases Containing staff

• chief of staff
• cross-staff
• ground staff
• half-staff
• on (the) staff
• staff nurse
• staff of Aesculapius
• staff of Asclepius
• staff officer
• staff of life
• staff sergeant
• staff sergeant major
• staff tree
• treble staff

Rhymes for staff

• calf
• chaff
• gaff
• graff
• graph
• haff
• half
• laugh
• raff
• staph
• autograph
• biograph

Kids Definition

staff

1 of 2 noun

ˈstaf 

plural staffs ˈstafs 

ˈstavz

or staves ˈstavz 

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)

c

: club entry 1 sense 1a, cudgel

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

ˈstaf 

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