staple
staple — 名詞
1. a small fastener made of a thin U-shaped wire that goes through papers and gets
訂書針
用來固定紙張的小金屬針
a small fastener made of a thin U-shaped wire that goes through papers and gets pressed flat to keep them joined.
Gabriel emptied the jammed stapler and refilled it with a fresh row of staples.
Gabriel 清空了卡住的釘書機，再裝上一排新的訂書針。
collocation: row of staples / strip of staples
Astrid found a stray staple in the report and carefully pried it out with her fingernail.
Astrid 在報告裡發現一根掉落的訂書針，便用指甲小心地把它挑出來。
collocation: remove / pry out a staple
The teacher asked Joon to pass the box of staples from the supply cupboard.
老師請 Joon 從用品櫃拿那盒訂書針過來。
Indra heard a soft click as the staple went through the stack of forms.
Indra 聽到輕微的喀嚓聲，訂書針穿過了一疊表格。
A single staple held the receipt to the invoice inside the envelope.
只用一根訂書針就把收據和發票釘在信封裡了。
- fastener
broader term that includes paper clips, pins, and other devices
- staple pin
sometimes used in office supply catalogues, though less common in everyday speech
文法句型
a staple
staples (plural)
用法筆記
Countable noun. Staples are typically sold in strips or boxes designed to fit specific stapler models.
常見錯誤
2. a thick, U-shaped nail driven into a post or beam to keep fencing wire, netting,
騎馬釘；大釘
固定鐵絲網的U形金屬釘
a thick, U-shaped nail driven into a post or beam to keep fencing wire, netting, or other outdoor materials securely attached.
Joon hammered a heavy staple into the fence post to hold the wire in place.
Joon 把一根粗大的騎馬釘敲進籬笆樁，將鐵絲固定住。
verb pattern: hammer a staple into [surface]
The farmer used galvanized staples to attach the chicken wire to the wooden frame.
農夫用鍍鋅騎馬釘把鐵絲網釘在木框上。
collocation: galvanized staple
Rust had eaten away the staples that once held the trellis to the wall.
鏽蝕已經侵蝕了原本將花架固定在牆上的騎馬釘。
Gabriel replaced the old staples on the boundary fence before winter arrived.
Gabriel 在冬天來臨前換掉了邊界籬笆上的舊騎馬釘。
- fencing staple
more specific term used in agricultural supply catalogues
- U-nail
another name for the same kind of fastener in construction contexts
文法句型
a staple
hammer a staple into [surface]
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun sense 1 — these are much larger, made of thicker metal, and used in outdoor construction rather than office work.
常見錯誤
3. a product or food item that is bought and used regularly by many people because
主要商品
生活必需的產品或食品
a product or food item that is bought and used regularly by many people because it is necessary or forms an important part of daily life.
Rice has been a dietary staple in Southeast Asia for thousands of years.
數千年來，米飯一直是東南亞地區的主食。
collocation: dietary staple / staple food
Selim added beans and lentils to the shopping list as cheap staple foods for the week.
Selim 把豆類和扁豆加到購物清單上，當作一週的平價主食。
staple food (adjective + noun pattern)
During the storm, residents stocked up on staples like flour, oil, and canned tomatoes.
暴風雨期間，居民囤積了麵粉、食用油和罐頭番茄等民生必需品。
The local market sells all the basic staples at prices most families can afford.
當地的市場以大多數家庭負擔得起的價格販售各種主要商品。
Coffee is such a staple of office life that many workers cannot start the day without it.
咖啡已是辦公室生活不可或缺的必備品，許多員工少了它就無法開始一天的工作。
- essential
emphasises necessity rather than regularity of use
- basic commodity
more formal; used in economics and trade
- necessity
focuses on the fact that people cannot do without it
- mainstay
suggests something that provides ongoing support or stability
- luxury
something desirable but not necessary
文法句型
a staple of [something]
staples (plural as category)
用法筆記
Often used in the plural form 'staples' when referring to a category of basic goods. Can also be used figuratively to describe something that is always present in a particular context ('a staple of modern education').
常見錯誤
4. the raw fiber of a natural material such as cotton or wool, measured by its leng
原料纖維
可紡成紗線的天然紡織纖維
the raw fiber of a natural material such as cotton or wool, measured by its length and used to spin into yarn for making cloth.
The mill processes raw cotton staple into yarn for the textile industry.
工廠將原棉纖維加工成紗線，供應紡織產業。
collocation: cotton staple / wool staple
Wool staple length determines how fine or coarse the spun thread will be.
羊毛的纖維長度決定了紡出來的線是細還是粗。
compound: staple length (technical term)
Sade learned to judge the quality of flax by examining its staple under a magnifying glass.
Sade 學會了用放大鏡觀察亞麻的纖維來判斷品質好壞。
Long-staple cotton produces smoother, stronger fabric than its short-staple counterpart.
長纖棉花織出來的布比短纖棉花更平滑、更結實。
- fiber
broader term that includes synthetic materials
- raw material
general term for unprocessed manufacturing inputs
- strand
emphasises the individual thread-like structure
文法句型
[fiber] staple
long-staple / short-staple [fiber]
用法筆記
A specialised textile-industry term. 'Staple length' is a key quality measure — longer staple fibers produce finer, stronger yarn. The uncountable use ('cotton staple') refers to the fiber material in bulk.
常見錯誤
5. a U-shaped piece of metal that is driven into a wall or other surface to hold el
線夾釘
固定線纜或管線的金屬扣件
a U-shaped piece of metal that is driven into a wall or other surface to hold electrical cables, pipes, or ropes neatly in position.
Selim secured the network cable to the baseboard with plastic staples.
Selim 用塑膠線夾釘把網路線固定在地腳板上。
collocation: plastic staple / cable staple
Astrid ran the speaker wire along the wall and fixed it with cable staples every few inches.
Astrid 把喇叭線沿著牆壁走，每隔幾吋就用線夾釘固定。
collocation: cable staple
The electrician drove a staple over the wire to keep it from dangling loose.
水電師傅在電線上方釘了一根U形釘，防止電線垂下來。
Indra used a special tool to press the staples flat against the coaxial cable.
Indra 用一種特殊工具把線夾釘壓平在同軸電纜上。
- cable clip
a plastic alternative that holds cables without piercing the wire
- U-staple
sometimes used in electrical trade catalogues
文法句型
a staple
drive a staple over [cable]
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun sense 2 — these staples are typically smaller, designed for indoor cable management rather than outdoor fencing, and may be plastic-coated to avoid damaging the wire insulation.
常見錯誤
staple — 形容詞
1. forming the most important, necessary, or regularly used part of something; desc
必備的；主要
構成某事物最重要部分的
forming the most important, necessary, or regularly used part of something; describing something that is always present or needed as a standard element.
Bread and milk are staple items in most household shopping baskets.
麵包和牛奶是多數家庭購物籃裡的必備品項。
collocation: staple item / staple product
The cooking class covered staple techniques like chopping, sauteing, and roasting.
烹飪課涵蓋了切菜、嫩煎和烘烤等基本技巧。
staple + technique / skill / method
Potatoes became a staple crop in Europe after being brought from South America.
馬鈴薯從南美洲引入後，在歐洲成為主要農作物。
For Anthony, a plain white T-shirt is a staple piece in his wardrobe.
對 Anthony 來說，一件素面白 T 恤是衣櫃裡的必備單品。
The clinic provides staple medical services such as check-ups and vaccinations.
該診所提供健檢和疫苗接種等基本醫療服務。
- optional
something you can choose to have or not
- non-essential
something not strictly needed
文法句型
staple + noun (no predicative use)
用法筆記
This adjective is used only attributively — it must come before the noun it modifies. 'A staple food' is correct, but 'This food is staple' is not. It cannot follow a linking verb.
常見錯誤
staple — 動詞
1. to attach or fix things together using a small piece of bent wire that is driven
用訂書針裝訂
使用訂書針固定物品
to attach or fix things together using a small piece of bent wire that is driven through the material.
Sofia stapled the signed contract to the original letter before filing it.
Sofia 將簽好的合約用訂書針釘在原信上，然後歸檔。
pattern: staple [object] to [object]
Tanvi stapled the cover page to the report and placed it in the tray.
Tanvi 把封面頁釘在報告上，放進收件盤裡。
The invoice was stapled to the inside of the cardboard box for safekeeping.
那張發票被釘在紙箱內側，以利保管。
Sade quickly stapled the fliers together before the meeting started.
Sade 在會議開始前快速把傳單釘在一起。
Esme handed Arjun a stack of stapled forms and asked him to deliver them.
Esme 遞給 Arjun 一疊釘好的表格，請他去發送。
文法句型
staple [object] to [surface]
staple [object] together
be stapled to [object]
用法筆記
The past participle 'stapled' is commonly used as an adjective ('stapled documents'). The verb typically takes a direct object (what is fastened) and often a prepositional phrase indicating where ('to', 'together', 'onto').