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Glite Dictionary
to understaff

to understaff

5 5.5
To give a place fewer workers than it needs
  • verb
  • /ˌʌndərˈstæf/
translation icon : subcontratar
  • As understaffed as we are here, we try to give the children as much time as they would have in a private practice.

Examples

  • Pressure to hit sales and performance targets, along with being understaffed, were also cited as major causes of stress by 45% of the employees polled.

    Academic text (2015)

  • But we're way understaffed tonight.

    He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

  • I used to work at a place that was understaffed a few years ago.

    Blog text (34)

  • We cut police officers a few years ago and have been understaffed since.

    Blog text (29)

  • This operation, this facility, we're understaffed.

    Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms (1998)

  • The National Guard has also been called out to aid local authorities which are greatly understaffed.

    Gangland (2001)

  • Local law enforcement is understaffed with no new applicants in sight.

    Unhinged (2020)

  • We are understaffed and overworked all the same.

    Off the Grid (2025)

  • And that level of stress, combined with funding shortages, has caused dispatch centers to be understaffed.

    From the Ashes (2024)

  • The restaurant is understaff this evening, making it hard to serve all the customers.

How Staffed

to staff
54 3.3
to understaff
5 5.5

Surface Forms

understaff infinitive
understaffed past
understaffed past participle
understaffing present participle
understaffs third person singular

Morphology

understaff = staff (transparent) = under + staff

The verb is formed by productive English prefix 'under-' meaning 'insufficiently' + the verb 'staff', giving a directly derivable sense.

Etymology

The verb understaff is made of under- meaning 'not enough' and staff meaning 'workers'. So, understaff means to provide a place with fewer workers than it needs.