staff ◆◆◆ /stɑː f, stæ f/ (staffs , staffing , staffed )
1 N‑COUNT [with sing or pl verb] The staff of an organization are the people who work for it. □ The staff were very good. □ He thanked his staff. □ …members of staff. □ Many employers seek diversity in their staffs.
2 → see also Chief of Staff
3 N‑PLURAL People who are part of a particular staff are often referred to as staff . □ 10 staff were allocated to the task. □ He had the complete support of hospital staff.
4 VERB [usu passive] If an organization is staffed by particular people, they are the people who work for it. □ [be V -ed + by/with ] They are staffed by volunteers. □ [be V -ed] The centre is staffed at all times. ● staffed ADJ [adv ADJ ] □ The house allocated to them was pleasant and spacious, and well-staffed.
5 → see also short-staffed
6 N‑COUNT A staff is a strong stick or pole.
7 A staff is the five lines that music is written on. [AM ] in BRIT, use stave SYNONYMS staff NOUN 1
workers: …office workers.
employees: They are all employees of Fuji Bank.
personneclass="underline" There has been very little renewal of personnel in higher education.
workforce: …a country where half the workforce is unemployed.
staff|er /stɑː fə r , stæ f-/ (staffers ) N‑COUNT [usu n N ] A staffer is a member of staff, especially in political organizations or in journalism. [mainly AM ] □ The newspaper has a small nucleus of full-time staffers.
staff|ing /stɑː f I ŋ, stæ f-/ N‑UNCOUNT Staffing refers to the number of workers employed to work in a particular organization or building. [BUSINESS ] □ Staffing levels in prisons are too low.
sta ff nurse (staff nurses ) N‑COUNT A staff nurse is a hospital nurse whose rank is just below that of a sister or charge nurse. [BRIT ]
sta ff of|fic|er (staff officers ) N‑COUNT In the army and air force, a staff officer is an officer who works for a commander or in the headquarters.
sta ff ser|geant (staff sergeants ) also Staff Sergeant N‑COUNT ; N‑TITLE A staff sergeant is a person of middle rank in the British army or the United States army, marines, or air force. □ His father is a staff sergeant in the army. □ …Staff Sergeant Robert Daily.
stag /stæ g/ (stags ) N‑COUNT A stag is an adult male deer belonging to one of the larger species of deer. Stags usually have large branch-like horns called antlers.
stage ◆◆◆ /ste I dʒ/ (stages , staging , staged )
1 N‑COUNT A stage of an activity, process, or period is one part of it. □ The way children express their feelings depends on their stage of development. □ Mr Cook has arrived in Greece on the final stage of a tour which also included Egypt and Israel.
2 N‑COUNT [oft on N ] In a theatre, the stage is an area where actors or other entertainers perform. □ I went on stage and did my show.
3 N‑SING You can refer to acting and the production of plays in a theatre as the stage . □ He was the first comedian I ever saw on the stage.
4 VERB If someone stages a play or other show, they organize and present a performance of it. □ [V n] Maya Angelou first staged the play 'And I Still Rise' in the late 1970s.
5 VERB If you stage an event or ceremony, you organize it and usually take part in it. □ [V n] Workers have staged a number of strikes in protest.
6 N‑SING You can refer to a particular area of activity as a particular stage , especially when you are talking about politics. □ He was finally forced off the political stage by the deterioration of his health.
7 to set the stage → see set ➋
stage|coach /ste I dʒkoʊtʃ/ (stagecoaches ) also stage-coach N‑COUNT [oft by N ] Stagecoaches were large carriages pulled by horses which carried passengers and mail.
stage|craft /ste I dʒkrɑːft, -kræft/ N‑UNCOUNT Stagecraft is skill in writing or producing or directing plays in the theatre.
sta ge di|rec|tion (stage directions ) N‑COUNT Stage directions are the notes in the text of a play which say what the actors should do.
sta ge doo r (stage doors ) N‑COUNT The stage door of a theatre is the entrance used by actors and actresses and by employees of the theatre.
sta ge fright also stage-fright N‑UNCOUNT Stage fright is a feeling of fear or nervousness that some people have just before they appear in front of an audience.
stage|hand /ste I dʒhænd/ (stagehands ) also stage hand N‑COUNT A stagehand is a person whose job is to move the scenery and equipment on the stage in a theatre.
sta ge le ft ADV [usu ADV after v] Stage left is the left side of the stage for an actor who is standing facing the audience. □ He entered stage left.
sta ge-manage (stage-manages , stage-managing , stage-managed ) VERB If someone stage-manages an event, they carefully organize and control it, rather than letting it happen in a natural way. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V n] Some may protest at the attempt by his supporters to stage-manage the congress.
sta ge man|ag|er (stage managers ) also stage-manager N‑COUNT At a theatre, a stage manager is the person who is responsible for the scenery and lights and for the way that actors or other performers move about and use the stage during a performance.