1. a basic or essential item, especially food
2. a small piece of bent wire used to fasten papers together
3. a main product or commodity of a place

1. forming a basic or essential part of something

1. to fasten with a staple or staples

Examples

• Rice is a staple food in many Asian countries.
• She used a stapler to attach the staple to the documents.
• Cotton was the main staple of the Southern economy.
• Bread and milk are staple items on most grocery lists.
• Please staple these pages together before submitting them.
• The staple came loose and the papers scattered.
• Tourism is a staple industry in this coastal town.