staple
1a short piece of wire bent so as to bind together papers, sections of a book, or the like, by driving the ends through the sheets and clinching them on the other side.
a similar, often U-shaped piece of wire or metal with pointed ends for driving into a surface to hold a hasp, hook, pin, bolt, wire, or the like.
to secure or fasten by a staple or staples: to staple three sheets together.
Origin of staple
1Other definitions for staple (2 of 2)
a principal raw material or commodity grown or manufactured in a locality.
a principal commodity in a mercantile field; goods in steady demand or of known or recognized quality.
a basic or necessary item of food: She bought flour, sugar, salt, and other staples.
a basic or principal item, thing, feature, element, or part: Cowboy dramas are a staple on television.
the fiber of wool, cotton, flax, rayon, etc., considered with reference to length and fineness.
Textiles. a standard length of textile fibers, representing the average of such fibers taken collectively, as short-staple or long-staple cotton.
History/Historical. a town or place appointed by royal authority as the seat of a body of merchants having the exclusive right of purchase of certain classes of goods for export.
chief or prominent among the products exported or produced by a country or district; chiefly or largely dealt in or consumed.
basic, chief, or principal: staple industries.
principally used: staple subjects of conversation.
to sort or classify according to the staple or fiber, as wool.
Origin of staple
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use staple in a sentence
From writer Gail Simone to artist Fiona Staples, there are incredible women already working in the industry.
A group of New York chefs show The Daily Beast how to enliven, or wholly recast, holiday table staples.
Thanksgiving Favorites, With a Twist | Sara Sayed, The Daily Beast Video | November 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMeredith did some high-kicking with the Rockettes, and then breezed through a checklist of daytime staples: Fabulous prizes?
Will Meredith Vieira Ever Stop Crying? Her Emotional Daytime TV Debut | Lloyd Grove | September 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWood pigeon, pheasant, partridge, grouse, peacocks, hares, wild rabbits, and waterfowl are all dietary staples.
With the vacation season right around the corner, packing up your trip staples has become part of the routine.
Sunny Smartwatches, Bags, and iGrills: This Summer’s Must-Have Tech | Charlotte Lytton | May 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
That he discovered two staples upon one side, which was all of boards, without any passage for light.
Gulliver's Travels | Jonathan SwiftWire Nails, Staples, &c., are made at Nettlefold's by machinery much in advance of what can ba seen elsewhere.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellWith nothing but ordinary tools the removing of staples is tedious and difficult work.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2 | VariousOrdinary small staples make good substitutes for glaziers' tacks.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2 | VariousShe drew supplies from foreign ports in bottoms of her own, and raised the staples of life on her own farms.
A short history of Rhode Island | George Washington Greene
British Dictionary definitions for staple (1 of 2)
/ (ˈsteɪpəl) /
a short length of thin wire bent into a square U-shape, used to fasten papers, cloth, etc
a short length of stiff wire formed into a U-shape with pointed ends, used for holding a hasp to a post, securing electric cables, etc
(tr) to secure (papers, wire, etc) with a staple or staples
Origin of staple
1British Dictionary definitions for staple (2 of 2)
/ (ˈsteɪpəl) /
of prime importance; principal: staple foods
(of a commodity) forming a predominant element in the product, consumption, or trade of a nation, region, etc
a staple commodity
a main constituent; integral part
mainly US and Canadian a principal raw material produced or grown in a region
the fibre of wool, cotton, etc, graded as to length and fineness
(in medieval Europe) a town appointed to be the exclusive market for one or more major exports of the land
(tr) to arrange or sort (wool, cotton, etc) according to length and fineness
Origin of staple
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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