From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstaplesta‧ple1 /ˈsteɪpəl/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 TDa small piece of thin wire that is pushed into sheets of paper and bent over to hold them together2 Ta small U-shaped piece of metal with pointed ends, used to hold something in place3 DFa food that is needed and used all the time staples like flour and rice4 BBTPEthe main product that is produced in a country Bananas and sugar are the staples of Jamaica.
Examples from the Corpus
staple• Tortillas are a staple of Mexican cooking.• Ice skating has long been a staple of ABC's sports programming.• It is a staple of the multilateral trading system, and is extended by the United States to all but a handful.• Rape is a staple in pagan myth, and killing still more commonplace.• Alternative medicine is now a staple of continuing education at Harvard University Medical School.• There are some assured visual touches, a staple of any Czech film.• The length of the cable then rests on the staples and can always be lifted off for painting and cleaning.staplestaple2 verb [transitive] FASTEN/DO UPto fasten two or more things together with a staplestaple something together The handouts are all stapled together.staple something to something I stapled the order form to the invoice.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
staple• We had to staple a polythene vapour barrier to the rafters of a pitched roof.• Select the ones that have held bottles, because they will be stapled at the bottom and are much stronger.• Industry magazines have thinned down so much with the collapse of internet advertising that they can now be stapled rather than bound.• As a schoolboy prank he leaned forward to staple the boy in front's jacket to his chair.• Finally, staple them together and flip through them to see them move.• There was a credit-card slip stapled to the receipt and I tucked both in my pocket for later inspection.staplestaple3 adjective [only before noun] 1 MAINforming the greatest or most important part of something Oil is Nigeria’s staple export. a staple ingredient of comedy2 → staple diet3 USUALLYused all the time Marty’s staple excusesExamples from the Corpus
staple• In Brazil, the black bean is a staple crop.From Longman Business Dictionarystaplesta‧ple1 /ˈsteɪpəl/ noun [countable]1OFFICEa small piece of thin wire that is pushed into sheets of paper and bent over to hold them together2a food that is needed and used all the timestaples like flour and rice3ECONOMICS the main product that is produced in a countryBananas and sugar are the staples of Jamaica.4COMMERCE a standard or common productThe Kiwi fruit quickly became a supermarket staple in the expanding section of exotic fruits.staplestaple2 verb [transitive] to fasten things, especially sheets of paper, together with a stapleHe stapled a batch of papers together.→ See Verb tablestaplestaple3 adjective [only before a noun] a staple food, product, activity etc is one that is basic, most important, or standardOil is Nigeria’s staple export.These garments are now becoming a staple product of the company.Origin staple1 1. Old English stapol “post”2. . (1300-1400) Middle Dutch stapel “place of trade” 