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Synonyms

staffer

American  
[staf-er, stah-fer] / ˈstæf ər, ˈstɑ fər /

noun

  1. a member of a staff of employees or coworkers.

  2. Journalism. an editorial employee, especially a writer.

staffer British  
/ ˈstɑːfə /

noun

  1. informal a member of staff, esp, in journalism, of editorial staff

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of staffer

First recorded in 1680–90; staff 1 + -er 1

Vocabulary lists containing staffer

U.S. Government - Middle School and High School

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There are several reasons those executives are right about this outlook, according to Kumar, who is co-leader of PwC’s national tax office and was previously a top staffer to longtime Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

Aaron Cutler, a former House staffer and congressional lobbyist at law firm Hogan Lovells, went as far as suggesting that Republicans could defy historic trends to win the midterms.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

“Oh my bad, I didn’t know Jeffries tweeted!” mocked Briahna Joy Gray, a former top Bernie Sanders campaign staffer, referring to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat.

From Slate • Apr. 8, 2026

One staffer told ThinkProgress during Trump’s first term that “Harvey just really likes powerful people, and he really likes having friends who are powerful, and who better than the President of the United States?”

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

"Someone told her about Tariq Johnson," the staffer tells me.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.