| Noun | 1. | staff - personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task; "the hospital has an excellent nursing staff"; "the general relied on his staff to make routine decisions"newsroom - the staff of a newspaper or the news department of a periodical; "every newspaper editor is criticized by the newsroom" personnel, force - group of people willing to obey orders; "a public force is necessary to give security to the rights of citizens" office staff, office - professional or clerical workers in an office; "the whole office was late the morning of the blizzard" research staff - a group of associated research workers in a university or library or laboratory sales staff - those in a business who are responsible for sales security staff - those in an organization responsible for preventing spying or theft general staff - military officers assigned to assist a senior officer in planning military policy staff member, staffer - an employee who is a member of a staff of workers (especially a member of the staff that works for the President of the United States) | |
| 2. | staff - the body of teachers and administrators at a school; "the dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university"body - a group of persons associated by some common tie or occupation and regarded as an entity; "the whole body filed out of the auditorium" school - an educational institution; "the school was founded in 1900" prof, professor - someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university | |
| 3. | staff - a strong rod or stick with a specialized utilitarian purpose; "he walked with the help of a wooden staff"alpenstock - a stout staff with a metal point; used by mountain climbers crutch - a wooden or metal staff that fits under the armpit and reaches to the ground; used by disabled person while walking distaff - the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning stick - implement consisting of a length of wood; "he collected dry sticks for a campfire"; "the kid had a candied apple on a stick" | |
| 4. | staff - building material consisting of plaster and hair; used to cover external surfaces of temporary structure (as at an exposition) or for decoration | |
| 5. | staff - a rod carried as a symbolsymbol - an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance crosier, crozier - a staff surmounted by a crook or cross carried by bishops as a symbol of pastoral office mace - a ceremonial staff carried as a symbol of office or authority tipstaff - staff with a metal tip carried as a sign of office by e.g. a bailiff or constable | |
| 6. | staff - (music) the system of five horizontal lines on which the musical notes are writtenstaff line - any of the 5 horizontal marks comprising a staff space - one of the areas between or below or above the lines of a musical staff; "the spaces are the notes F-A-C-E" music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner | |
| Verb | 1. | staff - provide with staff; "This position is not always staffed"man - provide with men; "We cannot man all the desks" cater, ply, provide, supply - provide what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance; "The hostess provided lunch for all the guests" | |
| 2. | staff - serve on the staff of; "The two men staff the reception desk"serve - do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function; "He served as head of the department for three years"; "She served in Congress for two terms" | |