# staffer

/ˈstæfɝ/ (US) · /stˈæfɐ/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/staffer
Updated: 2026-05-08

## Definition

a person who works for an organization, especially in a government office or for a news company. It is a common way to describe an employee without being too formal.

For teachers: an employee of an organization, particularly within a political, governmental, or media context. Often used to distinguish between administrative or support personnel and elected officials or high-level executives.

## Examples

- A senior staffer answered the phone at the senator's office.
- The campaign manager hired a young staffer to handle all the social media posts and community comments.
- Following the leak of the confidential memo, every congressional staffer with access to the server was questioned by the internal security team to determine the source of the breach.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The staffers is working late." but "The staffers are working late." — Unlike the collective noun 'staff', which can take a singular verb in some dialects, 'staffer' is a standard countable noun and must follow plural agreement.

## Usage notes

- Commonly used in American English journalism and political contexts; less frequent in British English where 'staff member' is preferred.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.