human resources

American  

[hyoo-muhn ree-sawr-sis, ree-zawr-siz, yoo-muhn] / ˈhyu mən ˈri sɔr sɪs, ˈri zɔr sɪz, ˈyu mən /

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) people, especially the personnel employed by a given company, institution, or the like.

2. (used with a singular verb) human resources department.

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human resources British  

plural noun

1. 1. the workforce of an organization

   2. ( as modifier )

      human-resources management

      human-resources officer

2. 1. the office or department in an organization that interviews, appoints, or keeps records of employees

   2. ( as modifier )

      a human-resources consultancy

3. the contribution to an employing organization which its workforce could provide in effort, skills, knowledge, etc

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Etymology

Origin of human resources

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

“I’ve been here nearly 20 years and seeing this going from concept to reality has been the greatest thing,” said Tiffany August, associate vice president of LACMA’s people and culture department, which oversees human resources.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

You could move to consulting, corporate training, human resources, educational technology and publishing, public relations or content development.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

Anna, who arrived in Germany as an au pair from Ukraine 15 years ago, now works in human resources at the joint venture.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

On their way out, all the NGO's assets, equipment, financial and human resources documents were confiscated by Houthi authorities, she recalls.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

“And how did you become the human resources manager?”

From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda