administration

[ad-min-uh-strey-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR administration ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the management of any office, business, or organization; direction.

the function of a political state in exercising its governmental duties.

the duty or duties of an administrator in exercising the executive functions of the position.

the management by an administrator of such duties.

a body of administrators, especially in government.

(often initial capital letter) the executive branch of the U.S. government as headed by the president and in power during his or her term of office: The administration has threatened to veto the new bill. The Reagan administration followed President Carter's.

the period of service of a governmental administrator or body of governmental administrators.

any group entrusted with executive or administrative powers: the administration of a college.

Law. management of a decedent's estate by an executor or administrator, or of a trust estate by a trustee.

an act of dispensing, especially formally: administration of the sacraments.

supervision of the taking of an oath or the like.

application, as of a salve or medicine.

Origin of administration

1275–1325; Middle English administracio(u)n < Latin administrātiōn- (stem of administrātiō) service. See administrate, -ion

Related formsad·min·is·tra·tion·al, adjectivean·ti·ad·min·is·tra·tion, noun, adjectivemis·ad·min·is·tra·tion, nounpre·ad·min·is·tra·tion, nounpro·ad·min·is·tra·tion, adjectiveself-ad·min·is·tra·tion, nounsub·ad·min·is·tra·tion, nounsu·per·ad·min·is·tra·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for administration

control, government, agency, legislation, rule, authority, policy, organization, legislature, management, ministry, executive, cabinet, bureau, board, committee, department, presidency, regime, jurisdiction

Examples from the Web for administration

Contemporary Examples of administration

And so the same creeping rot of the rule of law that the administration has inflicted on immigration now bedevils our drug laws.
Obama’s Pot Policy Is Refer Madness
James Poulos
January 5, 2015
Instead, it appears that the Obama administration has opted to punish North Korea financially.
U.S. Spies Say They Tracked ‘Sony Hackers’ For Years
Shane Harris
January 2, 2015
Only two senators opposed the resolution, which the administration later claimed was the authority for a full-scale war.
The World’s Toughest Political Quiz
Jeff Greenfield
December 31, 2014
The Obama administration took up the baton in 2009 and has since become the most evidence-based administration in history.
Can the U.S. Government Go Moneyball?
Peter Orszag, Jim Nussle
December 23, 2014
Faced with the loss of middle class voters, the administration seems determined to double down on its current coalition.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats
Joel Kotkin
December 21, 2014

Historical Examples of administration

These laws are general and their administration should be uniform and equal.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
He has no voice in its making, no influence in its administration, it does not represent him.
United States Presidents' Inaugural Speeches
Various
Ireland had proved the glory of Mr. Gladstone's administration.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
The stability of the Whig administration, then in power, depended upon the results.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Will this new disgrace serve to strengthen the Administration?
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863
Adam Gurowski

British Dictionary definitions for administration

administration

noun

management of the affairs of an organization, such as a business or institution

the duties of an administrator

the body of people who administer an organization

the conduct of the affairs of government

term of office: often used of presidents, governments, etc

the executive branch of government along with the public service; the government as a whole

(often capital) mainly US the political executive, esp of the US; the government

mainly US a government board, agency, authority, etc

property law

the conduct or disposal of the estate of a deceased person
the management by a trustee of an estate subject to a trust

the administering of something, such as a sacrament, oath, or medical treatment
the thing that is administered

Derived Formsadministrative, adjectiveadministratively, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for administration

mid-14c., "act of giving or dispensing; late 14c., "management, act of administering," from Latin administrationem (nominative administratio) "direction, management," noun of action from past participle stem of administrare (see administer).

Early 15c. as "management of a deceased person's estate." Meaning "the government" is attested from 1731 in British usage. Meaning "a U.S. president's period in office" is first recorded 1796 in writings of George Washington.