ˈbeɪsɪk necessary or important, especially regarding food or commodities wheat is a staple crop secure or fasten with a staple or staples staple the papers together (usually in the plural) a necessary commodity for which demand is constant paper fastener consisting of a short length of U-shaped wire that can fasten papers together a short U-shaped wire nail material suitable for manufacture or use or finishing a natural fiber (raw cotton, wool, hemp, flax) that can be twisted to form yarn staple fibers vary widely in length