noun

staple

STAY-puhl

noun

A basic food or item that is used regularly and is essential to daily life.

"Rice is a staple in many Asian households."

"Bread and milk are staples on most people's shopping lists."

A small U-shaped piece of wire pressed through paper (or into wood or a wall) to hold things together.

"She used a staple to hold the report pages together."

Something that appears regularly or is expected as a standard part of something.

"Car chases are a staple of action movies."

verb

To fasten something with a staple.

"Could you staple these forms together before you file them?"

adj

Main or principal; regularly used or produced.

"Wheat is the staple crop of the region."

How to Use Staple

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither something basic and essential (a staple food), or the small wire fastener used with a stapler.

Common mistake

Don't confuse the verb "staple" (to fasten with a staple) with "stable" (steady, or a building for horses) — they're spelled and pronounced quite differently but get typo-confused often.

Easily confused with

stable →

Common pairings

staple food staple diet staple the papers a staple of

Word Forms

stapled past tense, stapled past tense, staples plural, staples plural, Staples plural, staples singular, staples singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Rice is a _____ in many Asian households.

Etymology

From Old French estaple ("market" or "trading post"), from a Germanic root meaning "post" or "pillar" — the same root that gives us "staff." The fastener sense developed later from the same word for a bent metal post or clasp.

Rhymes for staple

maple

See all rhymes for staple →