understaffed

adjective

un·​der·​staffed ˌən-dər-ˈstaft How to pronounce understaffed (audio)
: inadequately staffed
understaffing noun

Examples of understaffed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
President Trump has been supportive of an aviation overhaul and restructuring requirements for air traffic controllers, a position that remains understaffed. Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 28 May 2025 Part of the problem is that the administration, which is understaffed and dysfunctional, has been speaking with multiple voices. Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2025 Last July, the FAA relocated a key control facility responsible for Newark air traffic from Long Island to Philadelphia in hopes of enticing new hires to join the understaffed facility. Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 5 May 2025 More likely than an all-out boycott, say attorneys, is a new era in which taxpayers and their accountants push the envelope with aggressive tax-planning techniques that may escape the review of an understaffed agency. Robert Frank, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for understaffed

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of understaffed was in 1891

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Understaffed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/understaffed. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!