staff sergeant

American  

noun

1. U.S. Air Force. a noncommissioned officer ranking below a technical sergeant and above an airman first class.

2. U.S. Army. a noncommissioned officer ranking below a sergeant first class and above a sergeant.

3. U.S. Marine Corps. a noncommissioned officer ranking below a gunnery sergeant and above a sergeant.

---

staff sergeant British  

noun

1. a noncommissioned officer holding a rank between sergeant and warrant officer and employed on administrative duties

2. 1. (in the Army) a noncommissioned officer who ranks above sergeant and below sergeant first class

   2. (in the Air Force) a noncommissioned officer who ranks above airman first class and below technical sergeant

   3. (in the Marine Corps) a noncommissioned officer who ranks above sergeant and below gunnery sergeant

---

Etymology

Origin of staff sergeant

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

At the same event, Glenda Tietjens was welcoming home her husband, William Tietjens, who was a staff sergeant at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

The family expects the Air Force staff sergeant to be in acute care for the next two to three weeks, and they feel optimistic about his progress, said the governor in a statement.

From BBC • Dec. 6, 2025

Army staff sergeant and combat veteran from Texas.

From Salon • Jan. 5, 2025

He transferred to the Army Reserve in 2015 and left in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2025

The massive staff sergeant Frank Volkheimer comes down the narrow wooden stairs and ducks his head beneath the beams.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr