stapler
1 Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of stapler1
First recorded in 1905–10; staple 1 + -er 1
Origin of stapler2
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.
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
Gabriel Trujillo, just 8 or 9 years old, wrote that he would be a stapler.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2023
Or they’ll explain that they couldn’t find the box of printer paper they bought last month, or their hammer or stapler, so they bought another one.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 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
The paper, the stapler, the staples, the tape.
From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
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.
