staff

Universal Words noun, verb noun 1 [C,usually sing.] all the workers employed in an organization considered as a group: medical / library staff * (BrE) teaching staff * (BrE) We have 20 part-time members of staff. * (AmE) staff members * staff development / training * a staff restaurant / meeting * (especially BrE) a lawyer on the staff of the Worldwide Fund for Nature seealsoGROUNDSTAFF 2 [sing.] (AmE) the people who work at a school, college or university, but who do not teach students: students, faculty and staff 3 [C+sing./pl.v.] a group of senior army officers who help a commanding officer: a staff officer seealsoCHIEFOFSTAFF, GENERALSTAFF 4 [C] (old-fashioned or formal) a long stick used as a support when walking or climbing, as a weapon, or as a symbol of authority 5 [C] (music) (especially AmE) = STAVE IDIOMS the staff of life (literary) a basic food, especially bread verb [VN] [usuallypassive] to work in an institution, a company, etc.; to provide people to work there: The advice centre is staffed entirely by volunteers. * The charity provided money to staff and equip two hospitals. * a fully staffed department seealsoOVERSTAFFED, SHORT-STAFFED, UNDERSTAFFED staffing noun [U]: staffing levels ______________________________ GRAMMARPOINT staff In BrE staff (sense 1) can be singular: a staff of ten (= a group of ten people) or plural: I have ten staff working for me. If it is the subject of a verb this verb is plural: The staff in this shop are very helpful. In AmE staff (senses 1 and 2) can only be singular: a staff of ten (but not _t_e_n_ _s_t_a_f_f.) * The staff in this store is very helpful. The plural form staffs is less frequent but is used in both BrE and AmE to refer to more than one group of people: the senator and his staff (singular) * senators and their staffs (plural). ______________________________