staff (staffs plural & 3rd person present) (staffing present participle) (staffed past tense & past participle )
1 n-count-coll The staff of an organization are the people who work for it.
The staff were very good..., He thanked his staff., ...members of staff..., Many employers seek diversity in their staffs.
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Chief of Staff
2 n-plural People who are part of a particular staff are often referred to as staff.
10 staff were allocated to the task..., He had the complete support of hospital staff.
3 verb If an organization is staffedby particular people, they are the people who work for it.
usu passive
They are staffed by volunteers... be V-ed by/with n
The centre is staffed at all times... be V-ed
staffed adj adv ADJ
The house allocated to them was pleasant and spacious, and well-staffed.
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short-staffed
4 n-count A staff is a strong stick or pole.
5 A staff is the five lines that music is written on. (AM) in BRIT, use stave
Chief of Staff (Chiefs of Staff plural )The Chiefs of Staff are the highest-ranking officers of each service of the armed forces. n-count
ground staff
1 n-count-coll The people who are paid to maintain a sports ground are called the ground staff.
The ground staff do all they can to prepare the pitch.
2 n-count-coll At an airport, the ground staff are the employees of aeroplane companies who do not fly with the planes, but who work in the airport helping passengers and providing information.
There had been a strike amongst British Airways ground staff.
staff nurse (staff nurses plural )A staff nurse is a hospital nurse whose rank is just below that of a sister or charge nurse.
(BRIT) n-count
staff officer (staff officers plural )In the army and air force, a staff officer is an officer who works for a commander or in the headquarters. n-count
staff sergeant (staff sergeants plural ), Staff Sergeant A staff sergeant is someone who ranks just above sergeant in the British army or the United States army, marines, or air force. n-count; n-title
His father is a staff sergeant in the army., ...Staff Sergeant Robert Daily.