1. An essential item, especially for daily needs
   "Food and shelter are considered staples of life";
   - basic
    
2. Paper fastener consisting of a short length of U-shaped wire that can fasten papers together
   "He secured the documents with a staple in the top left corner"
    
3. A short U-shaped wire nail
   "The carpenter used staples to attach the fabric to the frame"
    
4. A natural fibre (raw cotton, wool, hemp, flax) that can be twisted to form yarn
   "staple fibers vary widely in length"; "The textile mill processed staple fibre to create various fabrics";
   - staple fiber [US], staple fibre [Brit, Cdn]
    
5. A basic material or commodity used in manufacturing or trade
   "The furniture maker sourced sustainable staples for his products";
   - raw material

1. Necessary or important, especially regarding food or commodities
   "wheat is a staple crop"

1. Secure or fasten with a staple or staples
   "staple the papers together"

Derived forms: stapling, staples, stapled

See also: essential

Type of: commodity, fasten, fix, good, material, nail, natural fiber [US], natural fibre [Brit, Cdn], paper fastener, secure, stuff, trade good

Antonym: unstaple

Encyclopedia: Staple, Nord