How to Use understaffed in a Sentence

understaffed

adjective
  • The union has long held that the prison system is understaffed.
    — John Caniglia, cleveland, 29 Apr. 2020
  • And then there's the fact that restaurants are still understaffed.
    — Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 21 May 2022
  • But since last year, parks around the country are still understaffed.
    — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 18 Feb. 2026
  • That’s understaffed; full staffing would be 16 crews and eight vans.
    — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
  • And where will the state find staff needed to deal with such a surge at the already understaffed prison?
    — Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Schatz said the veteran’s home was understaffed and not equipped to halt the outbreak on its own.
    — From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 15 Sep. 2020
  • But some say the changes will help little if clinics remain understaffed.
    — Larry Fenn, The Denver Post, 25 Nov. 2019
  • Many are angry that the police force is understaffed, the mayor said, and want more cops on the street.
    — Jennifer Peebles, ajc, 22 Sep. 2021
  • Now his arm is broken, and his B&B is understaffed.
    — Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
  • Some of their equipment may need maintenance, and some units are understaffed.
    — Barry R. Posen, Foreign Affairs, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Half of all major airports are understaffed.
    — Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The landlord confessed that her firm is understaffed and overwhelmed.
    — Steven P. Dinkin, sandiegouniontribune.com, 29 Apr. 2018
  • Our teams are understaffed and overworked, asked to do more with less because the budget demands it.
    — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 3 Mar. 2026
  • The firefighters were understaffed and worn out from taming the recent wave of fires.
    — Richard Babcock, WSJ, 16 Oct. 2020
  • Customers have complained about long checkout lines and understaffed stores.
    — Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • When nursing units are understaffed, what happens to other health care workers on their team?
    — Anna Mayo, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2026
  • There are a ton of valid reasons restaurants are understaffed right now, argue with your uncle about that on your own time.
    — Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 1 July 2021
  • The union said the stores are understaffed and changing out tags on the shelves is one of the duties that has suffered as a result.
    — Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 16 May 2025
  • As for public safety, the city needs to find a way to bolster its badly understaffed police.
    — East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2024
  • Batey alleges the township is understaffed.
    — Elle Meyers, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
  • At the same time, call centres are understaffed because agents have called in sick or are unequipped to work remotely.
    — Mayank Jain, Quartz India, 8 Apr. 2020
  • Still, many hospitals in the south remain understaffed, and have fewer beds per capita than those in the north.
    — Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2020
  • And when these prisons are understaffed – psychologists and other staff are asked to act as guards.
    — February 25, NPR, 25 Feb. 2026
  • Even before the layoffs, critics said the office was understaffed and moved too slowly.
    — Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The restaurant was understaffed and swamped with orders, and the AC in the kitchen was broken.
    — Bruce Gil, Quartz, 24 Oct. 2024
  • Shopping at an understaffed big box store on a hot Sunday afternoon?
    — Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The mayor hopes this will help the understaffed police department.
    — Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Police union leaders say the department is understaffed and point to that as a reason for the increase in crime.
    — David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2022
  • Down a hero, the first shift is another mess, with too many crises to handle for understaffed Z-Team.
    — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
  • But the jails are understaffed, with the main jail being about 15% short in staffing, according to Weekes.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'understaffed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: