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.
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
More than 4,600 personnel were deployed to help with rescue efforts, Takaichi added.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The Japanese military has mobilised 3,600 personnel for disaster relief operations and sent 20 aircraft to assess the damage from the air, the defence minister said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
“As is standard procedure with personnel matters, leadership, staff, and student-athletes are prohibited from addressing this topic further, and has no reflection on the merits,” the university said in its statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The armored personnel carrier drivers were there to take them farther into the jungle and warned them about the intense action they’d been experiencing.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
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.
