staff
1a group of persons, as employees, charged with carrying out the work of an establishment or executing some undertaking.
a group of assistants to a manager, superintendent, or executive.
a member of a staff.
Military.
a body of officers without command authority, appointed to assist a commanding officer.
the parts of any army concerned with administrative matters, planning, etc., rather than with actual participation in combat.
those members of an organization serving only in an auxiliary or advisory capacity on a given project.: Compare line1 (def. 38).
a stick, pole, or rod for aid in walking or climbing, for use as a weapon, etc.
a rod or wand serving as a symbol of office or authority, as a crozier, baton, truncheon, or mace.
a pole on which a flag is hung or displayed.
something that supports or sustains.
Also stave .Music. a set of horizontal lines, now five in number, with the corresponding four spaces between them, on which music is written.
Archaic. the shaft of a spear, lance, etc.
of or relating to a military or organizational staff: a staff officer; staff meetings.
(of a professional person) employed on the staff of a corporation, publication, institution, or the like rather than being self-employed or practicing privately: a staff writer; staff physicians at the hospital.
to provide with a staff of assistants or workers: She staffed her office with excellent secretaries.
to serve on the staff of.
to send to a staff for study or further work (often followed by out): The White House will staff out the recommendations before making a decision.
to hire employees, as for a new office or project (sometimes followed by up): Next month we'll begin staffing up for the reelection campaign.
Origin of staff
1Grammar notes for staff
Other words from staff
- staffless, adjective
- un·staffed, adjective
- well-staffed, adjective
Words that may be confused with staff
- staff , staph
Words Nearby staff
Other definitions for staff (2 of 2)
a composition of plaster and fibrous material used for a temporary finish and in ornamental work, as on exposition buildings.
Origin of staff
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use staff in a sentence
The litigation highlights what some said is the firm’s extreme approach to departing staff.
The losses continue to pile up for hedge fund king Ray Dalio | Bernhard Warner | September 15, 2020 | FortuneWe also distributed a form to staff, which was also volunteer and anonymous.
In 2019, we surveyed our staff, and the results tell us that we have fallen well short of the goal we set.
Within days, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that it anticipated staying closed through July and laying off much of its staff.
How the coronavirus outbreak is roiling the film and entertainment industries | Alissa Wilkinson | September 11, 2020 | VoxThere are also 12 active staff cases and one staff member who has recovered from the coronavirus.
Federal Jail Downtown Now Has One of the Country’s Worst COVID Outbreaks | Maya Srikrishnan | September 10, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
They took cover inside a print works to the north east of Paris, where they held a member of staff as a hostage.
Although the blood-spattered offices will be off-limits, staff have vowed to continue producing the magazine.
You get these high-profile people that go into prison, and the staff abuse their authority.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’ | Michael Howard | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTHe would talk to Mecallari and the staff about what was of paramount importance to him, his two sons.
Grimm has even been actively trying hire staff members for his office in recent weeks after several former aides deserted him.
The Felon Who Wouldn’t Leave Congress | Ben Jacobs, David Freedlander | December 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWith each division, in addition to the divisional staff, there were officers detached from the headquarters staff.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonAs Felipe approached, the old man's face beamed with pleasure, and he came forward totteringly, leaning on a staff in each hand.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonBy the end of the campaign of 1796 he had proved that he was as great a chief of the staff as Bonaparte was a great commander.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonThe commander-in-chief still kept him attached to the headquarter staff, and constantly employed him on special service.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonSo it was all arranged, and Lawrence went to see his uncle and tell him of his new position on Blair's staff.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn
British Dictionary definitions for staff (1 of 2)
/ (stɑːf) /
a group of people employed by a company, individual, etc, for executive, clerical, sales work, etc
(modifier) attached to or provided for the staff of an establishment: a staff doctor
the body of teachers or lecturers of an educational institution, as distinct from the students
the officers appointed to assist a commander, service, or central headquarters organization in establishing policy, plans, etc
a stick with some special use, such as a walking stick or an emblem of authority
something that sustains or supports: bread is the staff of life
a pole on which a flag is hung
mainly British a graduated rod used in surveying, esp for sighting to with a levelling instrument: Usual US name: rod
Also called: stave music
the system of horizontal lines grouped into sets of five (four in the case of plainsong) upon which music is written. The spaces between them are also used, being employed in conjunction with a clef in order to give a graphic indication of pitch
any set of five lines in this system together with its clef: the treble staff
(tr) to provide with a staff
Origin of staff
1British Dictionary definitions for staff (2 of 2)
/ (stɑːf) /
US a mixture of plaster and hair used to cover the external surface of temporary structures and for decoration
Origin of staff
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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