personnel
Americannoun
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a body of persons employed in an organization or place of work.
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(used with a plural verb) persons.
All personnel are being given the day off.
noun
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the people employed in an organization or for a service or undertaking Compare materiel
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Also called: human resources. the office or department that interviews, appoints, or keeps records of employees
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( as modifier )
a personnel officer
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Usage
Some usage guides object to the use of personnel as a plural. However, this use is well established and standard in all varieties of speech and writing. The use of personnel with a preceding number is largely restricted to business and government communications: Six personnel were transferred.
Etymology
Origin of personnel
1825–35; < French, noun use of personnel (adj.) personal < Late Latin persōnāle, neuter of persōnālis; replacing personal (noun), Anglicized form of French personnel; compare German Personal, variant of Personale, Italian personale. See matériel
Explanation
Personnel is a noun describing a group of people who follow orders, usually at a company. If you have a job, you’re probably considered personnel to be managed. The word personnel is also sometimes short for the "personnel department," another name for the human resources or employment office. One of the things they might have in the personnel department is your personnel, which contains your employment records.
Vocabulary lists containing personnel
Nothing But the Truth
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Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Fallen Angels
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Over 500 personnel in protective gear have been posted on beaches to clean up the foul-smelling weeds.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Culver City police and fire personnel responded to 5800 Bristol Parkway at 2:14 p.m. and immediately evacuated the building, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
I mention all those because, IN EACH, personnel who did not expect to be “at the tip of the spear” were, in fact, attacked, defended others and sometimes lost their lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
He said when fire and police personnel searched the mall after the explosion, a gas odor filled the building.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
In a memo, Hoover informed Stone that he had begun combing through personnel files and identifying incompetent or crooked agents who should be fired.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
