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
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.
At the height of Iran’s expansion, it controlled a land corridor running from Tehran through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon, through which it could transport arms and personnel.
The US military will likely have had some warning of the attack and taken precautions to evacuate personnel.
From BBC
The cost is lower because personnel, office rent and other overhead costs are cheaper than in the U.S.,
From Los Angeles Times
With its mammoth cash infusion, ICE has gone on a hiring spree that has more than doubled its personnel from 10,000 to 22,000 in less than a year.
From Salon
The Revolutionary Guard has an estimated 190,000 active duty personnel, or nearly 10 times the size of Hezbollah’s force before the 2024 Israeli offensive.
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.
