staple

staple — noun

1. a small fastener made of a thin U-shaped wire that goes through papers and gets

1.nounB1
Definition

a small fastener made of a thin U-shaped wire that goes through papers and gets pressed flat to keep them joined.

Example

Gabriel emptied the jammed stapler and refilled it with a fresh row of staples.

collocation: row of staples / strip of staples

Astrid found a stray staple in the report and carefully pried it out with her fingernail.

collocation: remove / pry out a staple

Common collocations
  • row of staples
  • box of staples
  • strip of staples
  • remove a staple
  • staple gun
Synonyms
  • fastener

    broader term that includes paper clips, pins, and other devices

  • staple pin

    sometimes used in office supply catalogues, though less common in everyday speech

Grammar Patterns

a staple

staples (plural)

Usage Note

Countable noun. Staples are typically sold in strips or boxes designed to fit specific stapler models.

Common Mistakes

I need a staple for the stapler.
I need staples for the stapler.
'staple' is a countable noun; use the plural when referring to more than one piece.

2. a thick, U-shaped nail driven into a post or beam to keep fencing wire, netting,

2.nounB2
Definition

a thick, U-shaped nail driven into a post or beam to keep fencing wire, netting, or other outdoor materials securely attached.

Example

Joon hammered a heavy staple into the fence post to hold the wire in place.

verb pattern: hammer a staple into [surface]

The farmer used galvanized staples to attach the chicken wire to the wooden frame.

collocation: galvanized staple

Common collocations
  • hammer a staple
  • galvanized staple
  • fence post
  • chicken wire
Synonyms
  • fencing staple

    more specific term used in agricultural supply catalogues

  • U-nail

    another name for the same kind of fastener in construction contexts

Grammar Patterns

a staple

hammer a staple into [surface]

Usage Note

Distinguish from noun sense 1 — these are much larger, made of thicker metal, and used in outdoor construction rather than office work.

Common Mistakes

I stapled the fence wire with small staples.
I hammered large staples into the fence post to secure the wire.
Fence staples require a hammer, not an office stapler.

3. a product or food item that is bought and used regularly by many people because

3.nounB1
Definition

a product or food item that is bought and used regularly by many people because it is necessary or forms an important part of daily life.

Example

Rice has been a dietary staple in Southeast Asia for thousands of years.

collocation: dietary staple / staple food

Selim added beans and lentils to the shopping list as cheap staple foods for the week.

staple food (adjective + noun pattern)

Common collocations
  • dietary staple
  • staple food
  • basic staple
  • household staple
  • staple crop
  • staple of
Synonyms
  • essential

    emphasises necessity rather than regularity of use

  • basic commodity

    more formal; used in economics and trade

  • necessity

    focuses on the fact that people cannot do without it

  • mainstay

    suggests something that provides ongoing support or stability

Antonyms
  • luxury

    something desirable but not necessary

Grammar Patterns

a staple of [something]

staples (plural as category)

Usage Note

Often used in the plural form 'staples' when referring to a category of basic goods. Can also be used figuratively to describe something that is always present in a particular context ('a staple of modern education').

Common Mistakes

Corn is a staple in many diets of farmers.
Corn is a staple in many farmers' diets.
Use 'a staple in' for belonging to a group, not 'of'.
Rice is staple for Asian people.
Rice is a staple food for many people in Asia.
'Staple' as a noun needs an article ('a staple'); as an adjective it precedes a noun ('staple food').

4. the raw fiber of a natural material such as cotton or wool, measured by its leng

4.nounC1
Definition

the raw fiber of a natural material such as cotton or wool, measured by its length and used to spin into yarn for making cloth.

Example

The mill processes raw cotton staple into yarn for the textile industry.

collocation: cotton staple / wool staple

Wool staple length determines how fine or coarse the spun thread will be.

compound: staple length (technical term)

Common collocations
  • cotton staple
  • wool staple
  • staple length
  • long-staple
  • short-staple
  • raw staple
Synonyms
  • fiber

    broader term that includes synthetic materials

  • raw material

    general term for unprocessed manufacturing inputs

  • strand

    emphasises the individual thread-like structure

Grammar Patterns

[fiber] staple

long-staple / short-staple [fiber]

Usage Note

A specialised textile-industry term. 'Staple length' is a key quality measure — longer staple fibers produce finer, stronger yarn. The uncountable use ('cotton staple') refers to the fiber material in bulk.

Common Mistakes

This cotton has a long staple fiber.
This is long-staple cotton.
In textile terminology, 'long-staple' or 'short-staple' is used as a compound modifier before the fiber name.

5. a U-shaped piece of metal that is driven into a wall or other surface to hold el

5.nounB2
Definition

a U-shaped piece of metal that is driven into a wall or other surface to hold electrical cables, pipes, or ropes neatly in position.

Example

Selim secured the network cable to the baseboard with plastic staples.

collocation: plastic staple / cable staple

Astrid ran the speaker wire along the wall and fixed it with cable staples every few inches.

collocation: cable staple

Common collocations
  • cable staple
  • drive a staple
  • plastic staple
  • fix with staples
Synonyms
  • cable clip

    a plastic alternative that holds cables without piercing the wire

  • U-staple

    sometimes used in electrical trade catalogues

Grammar Patterns

a staple

drive a staple over [cable]

Usage Note

Distinguish from noun sense 2 — these staples are typically smaller, designed for indoor cable management rather than outdoor fencing, and may be plastic-coated to avoid damaging the wire insulation.

Common Mistakes

I used a stapler to fix the cable to the wall.
I used cable staples and a hammer to fix the cable to the wall.
Office staplers cannot drive cable staples; these require a hammer or a special staple gun.

staple — adjective

staple — verb

Word family

  • stapler
    nounB1
  • stapled
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe things that are central or important, but they focus on different aspects. 'Basic' is the broadest term and simply means something is fundamental or simple — a basic salad dressing needs only oil and vinegar, but it does not need to be used every day. 'Staple' adds the idea of constant, regular use within a particular context: rice is a staple food in Asia because people eat it daily. 'Essential' emphasises that something is so necessary you cannot do without it, even if it is not consumed regularly — a first-aid kit is essential but not a staple item in most meals. 'Standard' focuses on what is normal, expected, or widely adopted: a standard smartphone has a touchscreen, but that does not make touchscreens a staple of every electronic device. 'Principal' is the most formal and suggests first in importance among several: the principal ingredient in a recipe is the one that defines the dish. For example, potatoes are a staple crop in Ireland (widely grown and eaten), a basic food for many families (simple and fundamental), and an essential source of nutrition (necessary for health), but they are not necessarily the principal export of the country.

basic ↗essential ↗standard ↗principal ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • stapler
  • staple gun
  • staple remover
  • staple strip
  • staple fiber

Adverbs

  • stapled securely
  • stapled tightly
  • stapled neatly

Phrases

  • a staple of modern life
  • become a staple
  • remain a staple

Prepositions

  • staple to
  • staple onto
  • staple together
  • staple of

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishAnglo-FrenchEnglish

The word 'staple' actually comes from two paths that trace back to the same ancient root. The U-shaped fastener sense (noun senses 1, 2, and 5, and the verb) comes from Old English 'stapol,' meaning 'post' or 'pillar' — the wire staple looks like a small post with two ends driven into a surface. The 'main product' and adjective senses (noun sense 3 and adjective) follow a different route: through Anglo-French 'estaple,' which meant a fixed market or trading centre where goods were officially sold. Anything regularly traded at such a market became known as a 'staple' commodity. Both paths ultimately derive from Proto-Germanic *stapulaz ('pillar, foundation'). The textile-fiber sense (noun sense 4) developed later as an extension of the 'basic material' idea.