staple
gb/stˈeɪpəl/ us/stˈeɪpəl/
B1
English
~ 8800
alapelem, alapdarab, alapélelmiszer, alapvető, meghatározó, tűzőkapocs, összetűz, hozzátűz, fő árucikk, meghatározó termék, szálhossz
NOUN
B2
1
Usage pattern:
a staple of [something]
Rice is a staple for billions of people around the world.
A rizs világszerte emberek milliárdjainak alapélelmiszere.
Jeans and T‑shirts are wardrobe staples in many countries.
A farmernadrág és a póló sok országban a ruhatár alapdarabja.
Streaming services have become a staple of modern entertainment.
Bread and milk are everyday staples in our house.
Crime shows are a staple of late‑night television.
Learner examples
Rice is a staple in my country.
A rizs alapélelmiszer az országomban.
Coffee is a daily staple for many workers.
A kávé sok dolgozó számára a mindennapok alapvető része.
These shoes are a staple in my closet.
News websites are a staple of my morning routine.
Pasta is a cheap food staple for students.
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "staple" with "stable" because they look similar. Another common mistake is omitting the article in patterns like "X is a staple of Y"; it should be "a staple", not "*is staple of". Some learners think "staple" only means a metal fastener and do not realize it also means a basic or regular item.
Meaning
basic or regular item/feature
Collocations
a staple of
|dietary staple
|local staple
|wardrobe staple
|TV staple
|basic staple
Synonyms
mainstay (Stresses that something is the most important support or central element of something.)
|
essential (Focuses on being necessary, not specifically on being regular or typical.)
Antonyms
luxury (Describes something pleasant but not necessary or regularly relied on.)
Themes
daily life
|food
|culture
|economy
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A thing that people use or do very often, or that is a very important normal part of something.
Something that is used very often or forms an important, regular part of a diet, activity, style, or group of things.
B2
2
alapvető
B1
meghatározó
B2
Usage pattern:
staple [noun]
Rice is a staple food across much of Asia.
A rizs Ázsia nagy részén alapélelmiszer.
Tourism is a staple industry in this region.
A turizmus meghatározó iparág ebben a régióban.
The restaurant serves many dishes based on staple ingredients like beans and corn.
Wheat is one of the world’s staple crops.
Email is still a staple form of business communication.
Learner examples
Bread is a staple food in my country.
A kenyér alapélelmiszer az országomban.
Potatoes are a staple crop in this area.
A burgonya ezen a területen alapvető termény.
Fish is a staple part of their diet.
Cocoa is a staple product for the farmers there.
Sugar used to be a staple export for that island.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "*the staple" when they just mean "staple" as an adjective, for example "*Rice is the staple food" when they mean it as one of several important foods, not the only one. Learners also sometimes use "staple" where "typical" or "common" is better, for example "*It is staple for students to be tired" instead of "It is common".
Meaning
main or basic, regularly used
Collocations
staple food
|staple crop
|staple product
|staple ingredient
|staple item
|staple industry
Synonyms
basic (Very close in meaning; slightly broader and more general, without the idea of being a standard or typical item.)
|
principal (Stresses importance more formally, without the idea of everyday normal use.)
Antonyms
occasional (Suggests something is not regular or central, but happens from time to time.)
Themes
food
|economy
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Main or basic, used or seen very often.
Describing something as the main, basic, or most commonly used type of its kind, especially a food, product, or feature.
NOUN
B1
3
tűzőkapocs
B1
We ran out of staples halfway through printing the reports.
A jelentések nyomtatása közben, félúton elfogyott a tűzőkapocs.
Please remove the staples before you put the papers in the shredder.
Kérlek, szedd ki a tűzőkapcsokat, mielőtt beteszed a papírokat az iratmegsemmisítőbe.
The box contains a thousand standard office staples.
Use heavy‑duty staples if you are attaching cardboard to the wall.
He bent the staples open with a small tool.
Learner examples
I need more staples for my stapler.
Több tűzőkapocs kell a tűzőgépembe.
Please take out the staples from these papers.
Kérlek, vedd ki a tűzőkapcsokat ezekből a papírokból.
The stapler has no staples left.
She put new staples into the stapler.
These staples are too small for this stapler.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes call staples "*pins" or "*clips" because they do not know the specific word. Another mistake is confusing the tool (stapler) with the small metal pieces (staples).
Meaning
U‑shaped metal fastener
Collocations
box of staples
|run out of staples
|remove the staples
|load the staples
|loose staples
|staples and paper clips
Synonyms
fastener (More general; can refer to many types of devices, not just staples.)
Antonyms
clip (Often used as an alternative way to hold papers together without piercing them; not a direct logical opposite but a contrasting method.)
Themes
office
|tools
|daily life
|work
|technology
Definition
A small metal piece that looks like the letter U and is used to fix papers or other things together with a stapler or similar tool.
A small U‑shaped piece of metal, usually driven by a stapler or similar tool, used to fasten sheets of paper, wire, or other thin materials together.
VERB
B1
4
Usage pattern:
to staple [something] [together/to something]
Please staple the pages together before you hand in your assignment.
Kérlek, tűzd össze a lapokat, mielőtt beadod a feladatodat.
He stapled the receipt to the warranty card for safekeeping.
A nyugtát hozzátűzte a jótállási jegyhez, hogy biztosan meglegyen.
The posters were stapled to wooden poles along the street.
Could you staple these forms in the top left corner?
She accidentally stapled two documents that should have stayed separate.
Learner examples
Can you staple these papers for me?
Összetűznéd nekem ezeket a papírokat?
I staple my bills and put them in a folder.
Összetűzöm a számláimat, és beteszem őket egy mappába.
Please staple your photo to the form.
He stapled the ticket to the letter.
Do not staple the money to the paper.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "*make a staple" instead of the verb "staple" (e.g., "*Can you make a staple these papers?"). They may also confuse "staple" with "clip" and say "*clip with a stapler" instead of "staple".
Meaning
fasten with staples
Collocations
staple the pages together
|staple [something] to [something]
|staple along the edge
|neatly staple
|staple the report
Synonyms
fasten (More general; does not say how things are joined.)
|
attach (General and slightly more formal; does not specify the tool.)
Antonyms
unstaple (Less common, often informal, but directly describes the opposite action of removing staples.)
Themes
office
|tools
|daily life
|work
|technology
Definition
To join things by putting staples through them with a stapler.
To fasten or fix things together by driving staples through them, usually with a stapler or stapling tool.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
5
fő árucikk
B2
Usage pattern:
a staple of [an economy/region/industry]
Coffee has long been a staple of the country’s export economy.
A kávé régóta az ország egyik fő exportcikke.
Rubber was once the main staple of the region.
A kaucsuk egykor a régió legfontosabb árucikke volt.
Tourism is now a major staple of the island’s economy.
For decades, coal was the staple of the town’s industry.
Fishing remains a key staple for many coastal communities.
Learner examples
Oil is a staple of that country’s economy.
Az olaj az ország gazdaságának egyik meghatározó terméke.
Bananas are a major staple in this area.
A banán ezen a vidéken az egyik legfontosabb termény.
Tourism is an important staple for the city.
Cotton used to be the main staple of the region.
Cars are a big staple of the local industry.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this is an economic use of the same word and may translate it only as food. They sometimes say "*economy staple" instead of "economic staple" or "staple of the economy".
Meaning
main product of a region
Collocations
export staple
|economic staple
|agricultural staple
|staple of the economy
|traditional staple
Synonyms
chief export (More explicit that the product is sold abroad rather than simply produced.)
Antonyms
minor product (Emphasizes that something is produced in smaller quantities and is not central to the economy.)
Themes
economy
|business
|geography
|finance
Definition
A main product that a place makes or grows and sells a lot, which is very important for its economy.
A main agricultural or manufactured product that a region or country produces or sells in large quantities and that is important to its economy.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
6
szálhossz
C1
Long staple cotton is prized for producing smoother, stronger fabrics.
A hosszú szálú pamutot azért értékelik nagyra, mert simább és erősebb szövetek készíthetők belőle.
The quality of the yarn depends heavily on the staple length of the fibers.
A fonal minősége nagymértékben függ a rostok szálhosszától.
Short staple wool generally results in a fuzzier, less durable cloth.
Engineers adjusted the machine settings to match the staple of the new fiber batch.
Textile tests showed that the average staple length had increased.
Learner examples
Long staple cotton can make very soft shirts.
Hosszú szálú pamutból nagyon puha ingek készülhetnek.
The staple length of the fiber is important for strong clothes.
A rost szálhossza fontos a strapabíró ruhák készítéséhez.
Short staple fibers can make the fabric feel rough.
This mill works with long staple wool.
Engineers check the staple before making the yarn.
Common mistake:
Most general learners do not know this sense at all and may think it refers to metal staples. In technical contexts, they sometimes confuse "staple" with "stapler" or think it means the finished cloth, not the fibers.
Meaning
length/type of textile fiber
Collocations
staple length
|long staple cotton
|short staple fiber
|medium staple wool
|staple fiber
Synonyms
fiber length (More explicit description; used in explanations rather than as a standard technical term on its own.)
Antonyms
filament (In textiles, contrasts continuous filament fibers with shorter staple fibers.)
Themes
textiles
|industry
|technology
|science
Definition
A technical word for the length or kind of fibers, like cotton or wool, that are used to make cloth.
The length or quality of textile fibers, especially of wool or cotton, used in making yarn or fabric.
Grammar
Dictionary form
staple
IPA
GB/stˈeɪpəl/
US/stˈeɪpəl/
Syllables & stress
staple (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (staple)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: staple
- Plural: staples
Verb
- Base: staple
- 3rd Person Singular: staples
- Present Participle: stapling
- Past: stapled
Word family
Forms
staples
noun
stapling
verb
stapled
verb
Core family
stapler
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unstaple
verb
Expressions
a staple of
1/ə stˈeɪpəl əv/
fixed phrase
regular and important part of
Used to say that something is a regular, important, and typical part of a certain activity, style, or group.
Examples
- Reality shows are a staple of modern television.
- Rice and beans are a staple of their daily diet.
- Outdoor markets are a staple of life in the town.
become a staple
1/bɪkˈʌm ə stˈeɪpəl/
fixed phrase
start being a regular essential part
To start to be used or seen very often and to be an important normal part of something.
Examples
- Smartphones have become a staple of modern life.
- Online meetings have become a staple in many companies.
dietary staple
1/dˈaɪətˌɛɹi stˈeɪpəl/
fixed phrase
regular main food in diet
A food that people eat very often and that is an important part of what they usually eat.
Examples
- Wheat, rice, and maize are global dietary staples.
- Fish is a dietary staple for many coastal communities.
staple crop
1/stˈeɪpəl kɹˈɑp/
fixed phrase
main widely grown food crop
A kind of plant that farmers grow a lot because it is a main food in that area.
Examples
- Maize is a staple crop in many African countries.
- Floods destroyed the region’s staple crops.
staple diet
1/stˈeɪpəl dˈaɪət/
fixed phrase
usual main foods eaten
The main foods that someone or a group usually eats most of the time.
Examples
- Their staple diet consists of rice and vegetables.
- In some regions, meat is not part of the staple diet.
staple food
1/stˈeɪpəl fˈud/
fixed phrase
main basic food
The main food that people in a place eat very often and in large amounts.
Examples
- Rice is the staple food in many Asian countries.
- Bread and potatoes are common staple foods in Europe.
staple gun
1/stˈeɪpəl ɡˈʌn/
fixed phrase
tool for firing large staples
A hand tool that pushes big staples into wood, walls, or fabric to hold things in place.
Examples
- He used a staple gun to attach the fabric to the wooden frame.
- Always wear safety glasses when working with a staple gun.