personnel
Americannoun
-
a body of persons employed in an organization or place of work.
-
(used with a plural verb) persons.
All personnel are being given the day off.
noun
-
the people employed in an organization or for a service or undertaking Compare materiel
-
-
Also called: human resources. the office or department that interviews, appoints, or keeps records of employees
-
( as modifier )
a personnel officer
-
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
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.
U.S. officials said they blew up the aircraft themselves after landing in Iran to offload equipment and personnel for the mission.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026
Washington has more than 76,000 military personnel stationed across Europe and uses its European bases as a staging ground for operations around the world.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
The U.S. is said to have about 50,000 military personnel in the area around Iran—about 10,000 more than there were before the war started.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
More than 10,000 Japanese military personnel are in the southwest, most of them on Okinawa but several hundred each on at least four other islands, according to Japanese defense officials.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
“I’ve said for years,” Resch murmured, “that the Boneli Reflex-Arc Test should be applied routinely to police personnel, the higher up the chain of command, the better. Haven’t I, Inspector?”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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.
