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# staff

«staff» in Mova's school dictionary: **all the people who work for a school, shop, hospital or…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (staff — the people; a staff, staffs — a stick)

### meaning for a pupil

1) The staff are all the people who work for a school, shop, hospital or company. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#m1)

2) A staff is a long, strong stick used for walking or carried as a sign of power. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#m2)

3) In music, the staff (or stave) is the set of five lines that notes are written on. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In school life the staff are the teachers, assistants, office workers and caretakers; «staff room» is the room where teachers rest; «ask a member of staff» is the safe thing to do if you are lost or hurt in a shop or museum. In music lessons notes sit on the five lines of the staff. In fairy tales a wizard or shepherd carries a staff.

### examples

- The school staff had a meeting after lessons. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#x1)
- Ask a member of staff if you need help. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#x2)
- The hospital staff were very kind to Grandma. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#x3)
- Teachers drink tea in the staff room. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#x4)
- The old shepherd leaned on his wooden staff. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#x5)
- The wizard raised his staff and the lights went out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#x6)
- Draw a treble clef at the start of the staff. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#x7)
- The shop is short of staff today. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#x8)
- Suddenly the door opened, and an ancient dame leaning on a staff hobbled out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/#x9)

### note

As a group of workers, «staff» has no usual plural: «the staff are» (UK) or «the staff is» (US); one person is «a member of staff» or «a staff member». The stick plural is «staffs» or old-fashioned «staves». Staff is a group word, so «20 staff» means 20 people.

### In the corpora

- [Five lines give a good range of notes; for notes above or below the staff, short extra lines are added.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/arts/2-reading-music-notes-beats-and-rhythm/6/)
- ["Well known to staff" is a joking UK way to say the pupil is often in trouble.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/17-school-and-pets/15/)
- ["Efficiency gains" often means fewer staff doing the same work.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/22-jobs-shops-and-estate-agents/12/)
- [Safe people to ask for help when lost are workers in uniform, staff with name badges and parents with children.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/17-if-you-are-lost/21/)
- [If you are separated from your adult on a train or at a station, you tell a member of staff.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/43-buses-trains-and-being-seen/20/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «staff» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/staff/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.