staff

staff — noun

1. the complete group of people that a company or organization employs, regarded as

1.nounA2
Definition

the complete group of people that a company or organization employs, regarded as one body rather than as separate individuals

Example

The hospital staff worked through the night to treat passengers hurt in the bus crash.

collective noun: takes singular verb when treated as a unit

The principal thanked the teaching staff for their hard work during the final exam period.

collocation: teaching staff / office staff / hospital staff

Common collocations
  • office staff
  • hospital staff
  • teaching staff
  • support staff
  • full-time staff
  • part-time staff
  • staff meeting
  • staff training
  • staff member
  • member of staff
  • on staff
Synonyms
  • workforce

    broader term covering all people available for work, not just those employed at one organization

  • personnel

    more formal, often used in military or HR contexts

  • employees

    focuses on the employer-employee relationship; slightly more formal than staff

Grammar Patterns

staff + singular/plural verb

staff of + organization

Usage Note

In British English, staff is often treated as a plural noun (the staff are…), while in American English a singular verb is more common (the staff is…). Both are acceptable. When you need to count individuals, use a member of staff or a staff member rather than a staff.

Common Mistakes

I met a staff at the front desk.
I met a member of staff at the front desk.
'a staff' is not used for a single person; use 'a member of staff' or 'a staff member' instead.

2. a single person employed by an organization, especially when counting or referri

2.nounA2
Definition

a single person employed by an organization, especially when counting or referring to them as an individual part of the workforce

Example

Each staff member must sign in at the reception desk before starting their shift.

'staff member' as countable noun for one person

Niran has been a member of the hospital accounting staff for twelve years.

Common collocations
  • staff member
  • member of staff
  • permanent staff
  • temporary staff
  • new staff
  • experienced staff
Synonyms
  • employee

    more common and natural for a single person; 'staff' in this sense is collective-count only

  • worker

    broader; includes manual labour, not necessarily salaried

  • team member

    focuses on belonging to a group within the organization

Grammar Patterns

member of staff

staff member

number + staff

Usage Note

Sense 2 overlaps with Sense 1 but focuses on individual members. Use 'a member of staff' or 'a staff member' rather than 'a staff' for a single person. You can, however, use a number before staff to count individuals: 'five staff' means 'five staff members'.

Common Mistakes

A staff called me yesterday.
A member of staff called me yesterday.
'staff' is not used with 'a/an' for a single person.

3. a sturdy handheld rod carried to help a person balance while walking, to strike

3.nounB2
Definition

a sturdy handheld rod carried to help a person balance while walking, to strike in self-defence, or to mark a position of rank or office

Example

The elderly hiker leaned on his wooden staff as he climbed the steep mountain path.

walking support context

The tribal chief raised his staff to signal that the ceremony was about to begin.

symbol of authority context

Common collocations
  • wooden staff
  • iron staff
  • carry a staff
  • lean on a staff
  • ceremonial staff
  • walking staff
Synonyms
  • stick

    more general; can be any piece of wood, not necessarily a crafted object

  • rod

    thinner than a staff, often made of metal; less associated with walking support

  • cane

    modern term for a walking support; usually shorter with a curved handle

  • sceptre

    specifically a ceremonial staff held by a monarch; narrower in meaning

Grammar Patterns

staff + preposition (of, with)

Usage Note

This sense is more literary or historical than everyday English. For an ordinary walking stick, 'cane' or 'walking stick' is more common in modern speech. 'Staff' in this sense survives mainly in ceremonial, fantasy, or historical contexts.

Common Mistakes

He used a doctor's staff to walk after his surgery.
He used a walking cane to walk after his surgery.
for medical walking support, 'cane' or 'walking stick' is the everyday word; 'staff' sounds old-fashioned or ceremonial.

4. a tall, straight pole, usually made of wood or metal, from which a flag is flown

4.nounB2
Definition

a tall, straight pole, usually made of wood or metal, from which a flag is flown or hung

Example

The national flag flew proudly from the staff at the top of the government building.

formal register: 'staff' for flagpole

Quan lowered the flag down the staff as the sun set over the mountains.

Common collocations
  • flag staff
  • raise a flag on a staff
  • lower a flag down a staff
Synonyms
  • flagpole

    the ordinary modern word; much more common in everyday speech

  • flagstaff

    equivalent to 'flagpole'; slightly more formal

Grammar Patterns

staff + of (flag)

flag + on a staff

Usage Note

This sense is somewhat formal or literary. In everyday conversation, 'flagpole' (or 'flag pole') is much more common. 'Staff' for flagpole survives mainly in ceremonial, military, or poetic language.

5. in written music notation, the framework of five parallel lines whose gaps creat

5.nounB2
Definition

in written music notation, the framework of five parallel lines whose gaps create four intervals, where symbols indicating different pitches are positioned

Example

The teacher drew a staff and asked Noa to place the notes correctly.

music education context

Each line and space on the staff stands for a pitch that musicians read.

Common collocations
  • on the staff
  • the lines of the staff
  • treble staff
  • bass staff
  • grand staff
  • musical staff
Synonyms
  • stave

    alternative spelling and pronunciation of 'staff' in musical contexts; more common in British English

Grammar Patterns

on the staff

the lines of the staff

Usage Note

The plural form is staves (pronounced /steɪvz/), following an older English plural pattern. In modern music scores, two staves are connected by a brace for piano music. 'Staff' is also sometimes spelled 'stave' in British musical contexts.

Common Mistakes

The notes are placed on the music scale.
The notes are placed on the staff.
'scale' refers to a sequence of pitches; 'staff' refers to the five lines on which notes are written.
Idioms

the staff of life

idiom

A basic food that is very important for survival, especially bread.

In many cultures, bread is considered the staff of life.

Rice serves as the staff of life for millions of Asians.

staff — verb

Word family

  • staffed
    adjectiveB2
  • staffing
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Staff, workforce, personnel, employees, and crew all refer to people who work, but they differ in scope and context. Staff is the most general and widely used word for the group of people employed by one organization; it is neutral in register and works across all industries. Workforce is broader, often referring to all the people available for work in a region, industry, or company — a macro view. Personnel is more formal and commonly appears in military, government, and human-resources language ('personnel department'). Employees emphasizes the legal employer-employee relationship and is the most formal of the common terms. Crew is narrower: it refers to a team working together on a specific task or vehicle (a ship's crew, a film crew), not to an entire organization's workforce. For everyday use about your own workplace, staff is the most natural choice: 'I discussed it with my staff' sounds normal, while 'I discussed it with my personnel' sounds like HR jargon.

workforce ↗personnel ↗employeescrew ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • member of staff
  • staff member
  • on staff
  • staff meeting
  • staff training
  • staff shortage

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word staff comes from Old English stæf, meaning 'a stick, rod, or walking stick,' from the Proto-Germanic root *stabaz. This original meaning — a physical rod — survives in senses 3 (walking stick / symbol of authority) and 4 (flagpole). The meaning 'group of workers' began in the 1700s: the military used 'staff' to refer to officers who held a ceremonial staff of office, and by the 1800s the word had broadened to cover all employees of an organization. The musical meaning (sense 5) dates from the 1600s, from the idea of lines 'staffed' or supported like the rungs of a ladder.