understaffed

adjective un·der·staffed \ ˌən-dər-ˈstaft \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of understaffed

: inadequately staffed

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understaffing

play \ˌən-dər-ˈsta-fiŋ\ noun

See understaffed defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of understaffed from the Web

The fiscal review, conducted by the county's auditor-controller, found that the authority's finance operation is understaffed, lacks management oversight and pays its bills too slowly, among other faults.

— doug smith, latimes.com, "Review faults L.A. homeless authority's fiscal management, raising questions over Measure H funds," 5 Apr. 2018
This is another volunteer position that has been severely understaffed.

— mary jo pitzl, The Republic | azcentral.com, "Child welfare: How you can become a foster parent, donate or volunteer in Arizona," 5 Apr. 2018
Parra says Sainz’s department is understaffed and too busy with other work to follow up with Cano’s case.

— gustavo solis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "National City councilman finally files plans to correct 5-year-old building violations," 3 Apr. 2018
All this is happening with the State Department still desperately understaffed and in the midst of a transition.

— robert f. worth, New York Times, "Can Jim Mattis Hold the Line in Trump’s ‘War Cabinet’?," 26 Mar. 2018
More than 100 senior diplomats have resigned since Tillerson took office, leaving top ranks understaffed.

— heather hurlburt, Daily Intelligencer, "The Mess Rex Tillerson Is Leaving Behind," 13 Mar. 2018
Washington University law professor Peter Joy said hiring a private firm to help in an investigation is not uncommon when prosecutors are understaffed and under tight deadlines.

— The Seattle Times, "Gardner’s use of private firm for investigation questioned," 27 Feb. 2018
Washington University law professor Peter Joy said hiring a private firm to help in an investigation is not uncommon when prosecutors are understaffed and under tight deadlines.

— summer ballentine, Washington Post, "Gardner’s use of private firm for investigation questioned," 27 Feb. 2018
The understaffed agency has been a revolving door of late, with 60 percent of new hires quitting in the first year.

— keri blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "Texas may shutter some juvenile prisons with push to shift kids closer to home," 7 Feb. 2018

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