- [countable, usually singular, uncountable] all the workers employed in an organization considered as a group
- medical/nursing/teaching/coaching staff
- The hospital staff cared for me so well.
- There are 12 full-time researchers plus technicians and other support staff.
- female staff members
- (British English) part-time members of staff
- to employ/recruit/hire/train staff
- He joined the editorial staff in 2018.
- We are suffering from an IT staff shortage.
- The company has a good reputation for staff training.
- We have a weekly staff meeting.
- (especially British English) on the staff a reporter on the staff of ‘The Times’
Grammar Point staffstaff- In British English staff (sense 1) can be singular:
- a staff of ten
- I have ten staff working for me
- The staff in this shop are very helpful.
- In North American English staff (senses 1 and 2) can only be singular:
- a staff of ten
- ten staff
- The staff in this store is very helpful
- The plural form staffs is less frequent but is used in both British English and North American English to refer to more than one group of people:
- the senator and his staff (singular)
- senators and their staffs (plural)
Collocations JobsJobsGetting a jobsee also ground staff- look for work
- look for/apply for/go for a job
- get/pick up/complete/fill out/ (British English) fill in an application (form)
- send/email your (British English) CV/(North American English) résumé/application/application form/covering letter
- be called for/have/attend an interview
- offer somebody a job/work/employment/promotion
- find/get/land a job
- employ/ (especially North American English) hire/recruit/ (especially British English) take on staff/workers/trainees
- recruit/appoint a manager
- arrive at/get to/leave work/the office/the factory
- start/finish work/your shift
- do/put in/work overtime
- have/gain/get/lack/need experience/qualifications
- do/get/have/receive training
- learn/pick up/improve/develop (your) skills
- cope with/manage/share/spread the workload
- improve your/achieve a better work-life balance
- have (no) job satisfaction/job security
- have a job/work/a career/a vocation
- find/follow/pursue/ (especially North American English) live (out) your vocation
- enter/go into/join a profession
- choose/embark on/start/begin/pursue a career
- change jobs/profession/career
- be/ (both especially British English) work/go freelance
- do/take on temp work/freelance work
- do/be engaged in/be involved in voluntary work
- leave/ (especially North American English) quit/resign from your job
- give up work/your job/your career
- hand in your notice/resignation
- plan to/be due to retire in June/next year, etc.
- take early retirement
Extra ExamplesTopics Businessb1- Robbie Keane has joined the coaching staff.
- Junior medical staff take samples for blood grouping.
- The school has 1 300 plus students and just over 100 teaching staff.
- A spokesperson said that the bank expects to make 15 000 staff redundant over the next three years.
- There was a meeting of senior staff at the Home Office.
- The event was organized by staff from several museum departments.
- (British English) The bar staff are all young and cool-looking.
- (North American English) The bar staff is very professional.
- (British English) A member of staff asked us to leave.
- Office staff arrived to find there had been a break-in.
- Some orchestras have had to cut the number of players and administrative staff.
- Highly trained staff have been laid off.
- They employ a staff of 40 researchers.
- They have difficulty recruiting and retaining staff.
- She has the power to hire and fire staff.
- Properly training staff is vital to the success of a small business.
- Universities were asked to report on research activity among academic staff.
- Companies who treat their employees right have lower staff turnover.
- Staff morale is very low.
- We had lunch in the staff canteen.
- He's a staff writer (= employed on a regular salary, not paid by the piece) for The New Yorker.
- a staff position at ‘Life’ magazine
- She's a staff scientist at the Research Institute.
- (North American English) He's a staff attorney for the Federal Trade Commission.
- I've heard they're recruiting staff at the moment.
- She has been on the staff of the hospital for most of her working life.
- Some companies are struggling to retain skilled staff.
- Specialist training is necessary for staff carrying out this work.
- The company has a staff of fifty.
- The hospital is freezing staff appointments as part of its cutbacks.
- The staff are working under pressure.
- (British English) There are only four full-time members of staff in the company.
- There is separate staff accommodation for the housekeeper.
- They pay their staff by cheque.
- a staff person for a government agency
- a staff report by the House Foreign Affairs Committee
- staff appointed to the project
- the campaign staff of President Bush
- the medical staff who treated him during his confinement
- I have ten staff working for me.
- I tend not to eat in the staff restaurant.
- The store is closed for staff development.
- Three staff members were suspended after the incident.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- full-time
- part-time
- permanent
- …
- employ
- have
- appoint
- …
- work
- deal with somebody/something
- serve somebody/something
- …
- member
- person
- position
- …
- on the staff (of)
- chief of staff
- member of staff
- [singular] (North American English) the people who work at a school, college or university, but who do not teach students
- Students, faculty and staff were all men in those days.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- full-time
- part-time
- permanent
- …
- employ
- have
- appoint
- …
- work
- deal with somebody/something
- serve somebody/something
- …
- member
- person
- position
- …
- on the staff (of)
- chief of staff
- member of staff
- [countable + singular or plural verb] a group of senior army officers who help a commanding officer
- a staff officer
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- full-time
- part-time
- permanent
- …
- employ
- have
- appoint
- …
- work
- deal with somebody/something
- serve somebody/something
- …
- member
- person
- position
- …
- on the staff (of)
- chief of staff
- member of staff
- [countable] (old-fashioned or formal) a long stick used as a support when walking or climbing, as a weapon, or as a symbol of authority
- [countable] (especially North American English) (plural staves)(also stave)(music) a set of five lines on which music is writtenTopics Musicc2
Word OriginOld English stæf (in sense (4)), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch staf and German Stab.
Idioms
See staff in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee staff in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishthe staff of life
- (literary) a basic food, especially bread
Check pronunciation:
staff