staff
noun
\ ˈstaf
\
\
plural staffs\ ˈstafs
, ˈstavz \
or staves\ ˈstavz
, ˈstāvz \
, ˈstavz \
or staves\ ˈstavz
, ˈstāvz \
Definition of staff
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: a long stick carried in the hand for support in walking
2a
: crosier
b
: a rod carried as a symbol of office or authority
3
: the horizontal lines with their spaces on which music is written
— called also stave
4
: any of various graduated sticks or rules used for measuring : rod
5 plural staffs
a
: the officers chiefly responsible for the internal operations of an institution or business
b
: a group of officers appointed to assist a civil executive or commanding officer
c
: military or naval officers not eligible for operational command
d
: the personnel who assist a director in carrying out an assigned task
e
plural staff
: a member of a staff
employs three full-time staff
staff
verb
staffed;
staffing;
staffs
Definition of staff (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to supply with a staff or with workers
2
: to serve as a staff member of
an organization staffed by volunteers
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Synonyms for staff
Synonyms: Noun
force, help, labor force, manpower, personnel, pool, workforce
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Examples of staff in a Sentence
Noun
The entire staff has done a great job this year. The staff is at a meeting. She's a new member of the staff. The general's staff is planning the army's next move.Verb
We'll need 300 workers to properly staff the hotel. the 300 workers who staff the hotel
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. — Dustin Gardiner, SFChronicle.com, "‘Very broad’ and ‘very dangerous’: PG&E shutoffs blasted in Sacramento," 14 Aug. 2019 Next up is check-in: Note that cruise terminals can be hectic and crowded, but staff and signage will be on hand to point you in the right direction. — Elissa Garay, Condé Nast Traveler, "A First-Timer's Guide to Cruising," 14 Aug. 2019 Members of the editorial and news staff of the USA Today Network were not involved in the creation of this content. — Holly V. Kapherr, USA TODAY, "Fall for Paradise Coast: 6 things to add to your autumn itinerary this season," 13 Aug. 2019 Since nesting season began in May, county staff and volunteers have already marked 941 sea turtle nests, breaking the previous high nest count of 919 set in 2012. — Lisa Maria Garza, orlandosentinel.com, "Sea turtle nests, protected from predators, set record high on Volusia County beaches," 13 Aug. 2019 After four-star high school prospect Che Evans took a recruiting visit to San Diego State last week, one of his coaches posted a photo on social media of the 6-foot-6 wing from Baltimore with the Aztecs staff and a few players. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego State center Nathan Mensah scheduled for thumb surgery," 12 Aug. 2019 The giant crowd of reporters, cameras, supporters, staff and even some hecklers that shadowed her across the state fairgrounds testified to a rising presence in the state. — Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, "Kamala Harris, in a Pivot, Makes Her Play for Iowa," 11 Aug. 2019 Members of the editorial and news staff of the USA Today Network were not involved in the creation of this content. — St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Cincinnati.com, "Convenient, comprehensive women’s care in the Northern Kentucky Community," 9 Aug. 2019 Hopefully, Chelsea and the coaching staff and just playing in that league will continue to help him be put in situations that are difficult and challenging. — Grant Wahl, SI.com, "Christian Pulisic's Premier League Debut Marks Next Step in 20-Year-Old's Career," 9 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The city proposes to hire 16 new police officers, including six sergeants to work with victims of domestic violence; and hiring three new firefighters to staff Fire Station 44 on the city’s West Side, which Walsh said is the city’s busiest. — Joshua Fechter, ExpressNews.com, "Proposed San Antonio budget climbs 3 percent to $2.9 billion amid financial pressures," 8 Aug. 2019 Illinois kennels are now required to be staffed at all times, or have sprinkler systems or alarms that ring at the local firehouse, a response to the DuPage County kennel fire earlier this year that claimed the lives of 29 dogs. — John Keilman, chicagotribune.com, "Pritzker signs kennel safety bill into law. The measure, which requires sprinklers and alarm systems, was prompted by deadly DuPage fire that killed 29 dogs.," 7 Aug. 2019 To the developers' credit, the original English script is incredibly coherent for a team that appears to be entirely staffed by Japanese natives. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Metal Wolf Chaos XD: A weirdly timed return to 2004’s robo-blasting innocence," 6 Aug. 2019 The operator has contracts across the country to staff mail rooms, reception, janitorial services and building engineering, but its only food services customer is Facebook, said a spokesman. — Melia Russell, SFChronicle.com, "Facebook cafeteria workers protest pay, hours in San Francisco," 16 July 2019 The public-safety total includes $221 million for Fire/Rescue, which needs 26 firefighters to staff a new east Orange station on South Goldenrod Road. — Stephen Hudak, orlandosentinel.com, "Proposed Orange County budget includes money for more deputies, more firefighters — and raises for full-time county workers making less than $15 an hour," 15 July 2019 The heads of central banks may need to have political skills in the future, but central banks still need to be staffed by smart, competent economists. — Allison Schrager, Quartz, "Newly named European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde isn’t an economist—and that’s good news," 4 July 2019 The units are planned to be staffed seven days a week, 12 hours a day to deter vandalism and other damage. — oregonlive.com, "How a dirty city gets clean: Efforts to clean up Portland’s downtown come together this summer," 2 July 2019 The extra cost to staff the rest areas around the clock is $1.2 million out of an annual state budget of more than $20 billion. — Russell Blair, courant.com, "Capitol Week in Review: Rest areas back open, UConn back in the Big East," 28 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'staff.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for staff
staff
noun