noun

staff

stahf

noun

The people who work for an organisation.

"The hotel staff were incredibly helpful."

"We need to hire more staff before the busy season."

A long stick or rod, sometimes carried as a symbol of authority or used for support while walking.

"The old shepherd leaned on his staff."

In music, the set of horizontal lines that notes are written on.

"She drew five lines to make a musical staff."

verb

To supply an organisation with workers.

"The new clinic is fully staffed and ready to open."

How to Use Staff

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe employees of a business, or a rod/pole (literal or musical).

Common mistake

Treat "staff" as a collective noun — "the staff is" (US) or "the staff are" (UK) are both used depending on regional style; don't write "staffs" for a group of employees.

UK vs US

UK usage often takes a plural verb with "staff" ("the staff are"), while US usage more often takes singular ("the staff is").

Word Forms

staffed past tense, staffs plural, staves plural, staff plural, staffs singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The hotel _____ were incredibly helpful.

Etymology

From Old English stæf, originally meaning a stick or letter of the alphabet; the "team of employees" sense arrived much later, borrowed from the military use of "staff" for an officer's support team.

Synonyms

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stick stave

Related Words

stick stab manual adhere hesitate confuse fix stave

Rhymes for staff

aff gaff raff chaff graff riffraff Falstaff Wagstaff flagstaff

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