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

Example Sentences

There was no such luck for Ismael Veranes, the round-faced human resources director of Cuba's national theater.

From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026

The human resources employee in her 50s found the pontiff "extraordinary" during Saturday's prayer vigil with 500,000 mostly young people, seeing a "very positive message of joy".

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

Cibrowski was waiting with Weiss, Bilton and human resources.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Her side gig of creating nonplastic children’s cups and lunch boxes became her main gig after she lost her human resources job at Macy’s during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026

On that visit, my dad introduced me to Mr. Stephen Mutandwa, the head of human resources.

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