Word
understaffed
Phoneticsun·der·staffed, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈəndɝˌstæft/
UK/ˌʌndəstˈɑːft/
Definition
adj. not having enough workers to do the job properly. You use it for shops, hospitals or offices that need more staff.
adj. Having fewer staff members than are needed for effective or safe operation. Often applied to workplaces, teams, or shifts operating below required staffing levels.
Examples
“The cafe is understaffed today, so service is slow.”
“The night shift in the emergency ward is understaffed, so nurses must care for twice as many patients.”
“Chronically understaffed and facing rising demand, the rural clinic relies on overtime and volunteers to maintain basic care through the winter months.”
Examples
simple
“The cafe is understaffed today, so service is slow.”
contextual
“The night shift in the emergency ward is understaffed, so nurses must care for twice as many patients.”
complex
“Chronically understaffed and facing rising demand, the rural clinic relies on overtime and volunteers to maintain basic care through the winter months.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “understaffed” in context.
Verb
01. be understaffed
“The restaurant is often understaffed at weekends, so service is slow.”
verb + adj
02. become understaffed
“The clinic became understaffed after two doctors resigned.”
verb + adj
03. leave understaffed
“Budget cuts left the office understaffed for months.”
verb + adj
04. operate understaffed
“Many restaurants are forced to operate understaffed after the holidays.”
verb + adj
05. remain understaffed
“The ward will remain understaffed until new nurses are hired.”
verb + adj
06. run understaffed
“The hospital had to run understaffed throughout the winter crisis.”
verb + adj
Adjective
07. chronically understaffed
“Many public hospitals are chronically understaffed and struggle to recruit nurses.”
adv + adj
08. dangerously understaffed
“The care home was found to be dangerously understaffed by inspectors.”
adv + adj
09. seriously understaffed
“Our local school is seriously understaffed and needs more teachers.”
adv + adj
10. severely understaffed
“The emergency department was severely understaffed during the night shift.”
adv + adj
11. forced to operate understaffed
“The restaurant was forced to operate understaffed during the festival.”
12. remain chronically understaffed
“The care system remains chronically understaffed despite new funding.”
Real-World Examples
“Hospitality, still recovering from the pandemic, is short on workers, restaurants are struggling to hire line cooks and dishwashers and grocery stores are finding themselves chronically understaffed.” “Who is asking what these changes will feel like to a nurse working a 12-hour shift in an understaffed neonatal intensive care unit?” “To save money, the NDIA has also announced a “mobility register”, which allows staff to be moved to other sections of the organisation that may be understaffed.” “Cleveland's police's Chief Constable, Victoria Fuller, recently told the BBC her force has been understaffed and under resourced for years.” Etymology
From under- + staffed.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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