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Synonyms

stapler

1 American  
[stey-pler] / ˈsteɪ plər /

noun

  1. a machine for fastening together sheets of paper or the like, with wire staples. staple.

  2. a wire-stitching machine, especially one used in bookbinding.

  3. Also called staple gun.  a hand-powered tool used for driving heavy-duty wire staples staple into wood and other materials.

stapler 2 American  
[stey-pler] / ˈsteɪ plər /

noun

  1. a person who staples staple wool.

  2. a merchant who deals in a staple or staples. staple.

stapler British  
/ ˈsteɪplə /

noun

  1. a machine that inserts staples into sheets of paper, etc, to hold them together

"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 stapler1

First recorded in 1905–10; staple 1 + -er 1

Origin of stapler2

First recorded in 1505–15; staple 2 + -er 1

Explanation

A stapler is an office tool that fastens multiple sheets of paper together. If you don't have a paper clip, you'll need a stapler for your book report. A stapler works by pushing the sharp metal ends of a staple through the paper and folding the staple's ends so the sheets are securely fastened together. Eighteenth-century French toolmakers created the first stapler for King Louis XV, with every single staple inscribed with the royal court insignia. Earlier, sealing wax acted as a less-effective kind of fastener. In 2012, $80 million was spent on staplers.

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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.

Elsewhere in the warehouse, an authenticator uses a device smaller than a stapler to scan a Louis Vuitton tote to help determine whether the leather, stitching and branding are authentic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026

I watched for a while as “Elvis” star Austin Butler drifted with slow, inexorable determination toward Cruise, who finally pulled the younger man toward him by clamping a hand on his shoulder like a stapler.

From New York Times • Feb. 13, 2023

In a semicircle around his head are boxes of bullets, printouts of charts, a heavy-duty stapler and a roll of tape.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 29, 2022

He gives somebody a stapler and he says, "Oh, I'm going to be president one day. Hold on to that."

From Salon • Jun. 14, 2021

Someone didn’t let her use their stapler after she bought everyone doughnuts last week—seriously, I’m not making that up—and her shrieking voice is making my chest tight.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

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.