26984 words

staples

17 definitions • 20 examples
1
a short, thin piece of wire used to fasten sheets of paper together. It has sharp ends that are pushed through the paper and then bent flat by a special device.
2
a U-shaped piece of metal with sharp ends that is fixed into a surface to hold something, such as a wire fence, in a particular position
3
a main product or part of something:

Examples:

Shortages mean that even staples (= basic foods) like bread are difficult to find.
Phosphate has been a staple of this area for many years.
4

Examples:

The staple diet here is mutton, fish and boiled potatoes.
Prices of staple foods such as wheat and vegetables have also been increasing.
Her latest film is the staple offering of action and comedy that we have come to expect.
5
to fasten something using staples:

Examples:

Would you mind stapling the reports together?
6
a short, thin, U-shaped piece of wire with ends that bend to fasten sheets of paper together:

Examples:

Put a staple in the upper left-hand corner.
7
A staple is also a small, thick, U-shaped piece of metal with sharp ends that is hammered into a surface to hold something in place.
8

Examples:

Because of the storm, most stores were low on staples such as bread and milk.
9
basic or main:

Examples:

10
to use a staple to fasten sheets of paper together:

Examples:

Please staple the reports together.
11
a short thin piece of wire used to fasten pieces of paper together. It has sharp ends that are pushed through the paper and then bent flat by a special tool called a stapler.
12
the main product of a country, whose trade is important for the country's economy:

Examples:

Sugar has been the staple of Cuba's economy for centuries.
13
a main or important product that people eat or use regularly:

Examples:

food/household/supermarket staples The giant retailer reported strong sales of household staples like groceries.
14
a company or industry that manufactures and sells important products and services that people eat or use regularly:

Examples:

So-called safe areas in the stock market continue to be consumer staples and drug companies.
Millions of people daily use internet staples such as Google and Amazon.
15
a main or important part of something:

Examples:

Once a staple of men's business wardrobes, the suit is becoming more rare.
16
17
to fasten pieces of paper together using staples:

Examples:

staple sth to sth The list can then be stapled to each batch of invoices.
staple sth together She stapled the two documents together.

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