staple

1 of 4

noun (1)

sta·​ple ˈstā-pəl 

: a usually U-shaped fastener: such as

a

: a metal loop both ends of which are driven into a surface to hold the hook, hasp, or bolt of a lock, secure a rope, or fix a wire in place

b

: a small wire both ends of which are driven through layers of thin and easily penetrable material (such as paper) and usually clinched to hold the layers together

c

: a usually metal surgical fastener used to hold layers of tissue together (as in the closure of an incision)

staple

2 of 4

verb

stapled; stapling ˈstā-p(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to provide with or secure by staples

staple

3 of 4

noun (2)

1

: a town used as a center for the sale or exportation of commodities in bulk

2

: a place of supply : source

3

: a chief commodity or production of a place

4

a

: a commodity for which the demand is constant

b

: something having widespread and constant use or appeal

c

: the sustaining or principal element : substance

5

: raw material

6

a

: textile fiber (such as wool and rayon) of relatively short length that when spun and twisted forms a yarn rather than a filament

b

: the length of a piece of such textile fiber

staple

4 of 4

adjective

1

: used, needed, or enjoyed constantly usually by many individuals

2

: produced regularly or in large quantities

staple crops such as wheat and rice

3

: principal, chief

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• body
• brunt
• bulk
• chief
• core
• generality
• heft [archaic]
• main
• mass
• weight

Examples of staple in a Sentence

Verb

I stapled the pages in the upper left corner.

Noun (2)

reading is the very staple of a person's education

Adjective

such staple items as flour and sugar

That's a staple plot in mystery novels.

staple crops like wheat, rice, or sugarcane

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Hush puppies, once a staple on Red Lobster’s menu, are coming back. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

Analysts standing in front of a big electronic board counting votes and breaking them down state by state, county by county, in granular detail have now become an election night staple. —Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2024

Verb

Everybody is a gamer now, and not everybody’s life can accommodate a $500 immersion box stapled to the living room TV stand. —Cecilia D'anastasio, WIRED, 5 Oct. 2020

Zoom in: The messages, written on a rainbow of sticky notes stapled to a bulletin board, range from funny to surprisingly vulnerable. —Adam Tamburin, Axios, 20 Sep. 2024

Adjective

While her boot-and-leather-jacket game is as equally on point as her taste in everyday carryalls, the prices of these bags are often more attainable than other staple pieces in her wardrobe…which brings me to her latest suede bag. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 4 Nov. 2024

These sheets are made from long staple cotton that just gets softer with each wash. —Nora Taylor, Architectural Digest, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English stapel post, staple, from Old English stapol post; akin to Middle Dutch stapel step, heap, emporium, Old English steppan to step

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French estaple, from Middle Dutch stapel emporium

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing staple

• staple diet
• staple gun

Kids Definition

staple

1 of 4 noun

sta·​ple ˈstā-pəl 

: a usually U-shaped fastener: as

a

: a piece of metal with sharp points to be driven into a surface to hold something (as a hook, rope, or wire)

b

: a piece of thin wire that is driven through papers and bent over at the ends to fasten them together or driven through thin material to fasten it to something else

c

: a usually metal surgical fastener used to hold layers of tissue together (as in the closing of a wound)

staple

2 of 4 verb

stapled; stapling -p(ə-)liŋ 

: to fasten with staples

staple

3 of 4 noun

1

: a chief product of business or farming of a place

2

a

: something in widespread and constant use or demand

b

: the chief part of something

potatoes are the staple of their diet

3

: raw material

4

: textile fiber (as wool or rayon) suitable for spinning into yarn

staple

4 of 4 adjective

1

: used, needed, or enjoyed constantly usually by many individuals

2

: produced regularly or in large quantities

staple crops such as wheat and rice

3

: principal entry 1, chief

bamboo is the staple diet of the panda

Etymology

Noun

Old English stapol "post"

Noun

Middle English staple "a major market town, place for exporting"; of Dutch origin

Medical Definition

staple

noun

sta·​ple ˈstā-pəl 

: a usually U-shaped and typically metal surgical fastener used to hold layers of tissue together (as in the closure of an incision)

staple transitive verb

stapled; stapling

stapler

-plər 

noun