Syllable division derived from spelling — this word is not in the pronouncing dictionary, so no phonetic transcription is shown rather than a guessed one.
short-staffed is an adjective meaning "inadequate in number of workers or assistants etc.". It carries one recorded sense.
inadequate in number of workers or assistants etc.
“they're rather short-handed at the moment”
“overcrowded and understaffed hospitals”
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for short-staffed come from Princeton University’s WordNet. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.