human resources

American  

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

human resources

The cuts - the steepest since 2022 - will mainly affect its human resources, legal, product and technology teams and equates to around 6% of its total workforce.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The demographic was far more likely to use AI compared with other generations, according to researchers at the payroll and human resources platform.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

That includes some human resources work as well as an artificial intelligence transformation Goldman calls “OneGS 3.0,” that involves changing the firm’s internal operating model and improving overall productivity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

A few seats away, 30-year-old human resources manager Julia Garcia has done the same.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

Fifteen trains leave Lecherfa every twenty-four hours, says Jose Patricio Sanchez Arellano, who handles human resources for Lecherfa and other stations for Ferrocarril y Terminal del Valle de Mexico.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

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