understaffed

[ uhn-der-staft, -stahft ]

/ ˌʌn dərˈstæft, -ˈstɑft /

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adjective

having an insufficient number of personnel: The hospital is understaffed.

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Origin of understaffed

First recorded in 1890–95; under- + staff¹ + -ed³

Words nearby understaffed

under someone's thumb, under someone's wing, undersparred, underspend, underspin, understaffed, understand, understandable, understanding, understate, understated

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use understaffed in a sentence

The day-to-day delivery of shots, without reinforcements, will play out at understaffed clinics, overwhelmed pharmacies and beleaguered long-term care facilities.
Mass vaccinations against covid-19 will be ‘mind-blowing’ challenge for Alabama, other poor, rural states|Isaac Stanley-Becker|November 29, 2020|Washington Post
VA hospitals are understaffed—just before the pandemic, the VA reported 43,000 staff vacancies out of more than 400,000 health care staff positions.
Eight reasons COVID-19 has hit veterans particularly hard|By Jamie Rowen/The Conversation|November 11, 2020|Popular-Science
The cumbersome boxes are more difficult to sort than paper mail, and stressed the Postal Service’s already understaffed operations.
USPS processed 150,000 ballots after Election Day, jeopardizing thousands of votes|Jacob Bogage, Christopher Ingraham|November 5, 2020|Washington Post
A pandemic coupled with record numbers of mail-in ballots means that local election offices will both be understaffed and overextended.
Voter intimidation, Russian influence, refusal to accept results: What could go wrong on Election Night|Nicole Goodkind|November 2, 2020|Fortune

At the same time, it’s clear that some problems—PPE shortages, the pace of vaccine development, understaffed hospitals—are beyond the ability of any one person to fix.
Five things individuals can do to fight climate change|Tim McDonnell|October 14, 2020|Quartz
Fve pending nominees call Arizona home, all of whom were designated “judicial emergencies” to serve on understaffed courts.
The GOP’s Nuclear Winter Strategy|Eleanor Clift|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Abu Muhammadeen, one of the surgeons, said the hospital is critically understaffed.
Syria’s Government Targets Hospitals|Emma Beals|October 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Some stores are understaffed, and “that causes a poor experience for the customer.”
If Cosi Wants to Make a Profit, It Needs to Increase Wages|Daniel Gross|August 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When those entities were underfunded, understaffed, and marginalized, it encouraged an anything-goes environment.
The NFL Referees’ Strike Highlights Larger Truths About the U.S. Economy|Daniel Gross|September 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The police forces are understaffed, insufficiently trained, and ill-equipped.
India’s Tryst with Terror|Kanwal Sibal|September 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The estate was understaffed, underfinanced, and the repairs were always in arrear.
Notwithstanding|Mary Cholmondeley
But I will say that according to other institutions, that this institution was also understaffed.
Warren Commission (1 of 26): Hearings Vol. I (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
The hotel people are so dreadfully understaffed just now--this war!
Alone|Norman Douglas
As a result, they are too few in number and are seriously understaffed, making shopping a time-consuming and frustrating activity.
Area Handbook for Bulgaria|Eugene K. Keefe, Violeta D. Baluyut, William Giloane, Anne K. Long, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole
She says the school is understaffed and that the governors have consented to her obtaining some extra assistance.
Loyal to the School|Angela Brazil

British Dictionary definitions for understaffed

understaffed

/ (ˌʌndəˈstɑːft) /

adjective

not having enough staffher department is understaffed

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