personnel

American  

[pur-suh-nel] / ˌpɜr səˈnɛl /

noun

1. a body of persons employed in an organization or place of work.

2. (used with a plural verb) persons.

   All personnel are being given the day off.

3. personnel department.

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personnel British  

/ ˌpɜːsəˈnɛl /

noun

1. the people employed in an organization or for a service or undertaking Compare materiel

2. 1. Also called: human resources.  the office or department that interviews, appoints, or keeps records of employees

   2. ( 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.

Example Sentences

The 19-day Balikatan exercises, meaning "shoulder-to-shoulder" and which wrap up Friday, have involved some 17,000 military personnel including Japanese combat troops for the first time.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

The high level of training for Marines shows that command considered the optics of military personnel harming or even killing civilians, Kavanagh said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Weapons manufacturers argue that keeping a "human in the loop" addresses such concerns, insisting that decisions to deploy force remain with military personnel.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

At the same time, the operation comes with risks to U.S. personnel and to commercial ships, most of which are still refusing to transit the strait without clear guarantees that Iran won’t attack them.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Again it was a fan boat, also with four military personnel aboard, and again Zeitoun and Frank waved and called for help.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

• cadre
• crew
• group
• organization
• people
• staff
• troop
• work force