administration

American  

[ad-min-uh-strey-shuhn] / ædˌmɪn əˈstreɪ ʃən /

noun

• administrations
  plural

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

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

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

4. the management by an administrator of such duties.

5. a body of administrators, especially in government.

6. Often Administration the executive branch of the U.S. government during a particular president's term of office: The current administration has threatened to veto the new bill.

   The Reagan administration followed President Carter's.

   The current administration has threatened to veto the new bill.

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

8. any group entrusted with executive or administrative powers.

   the administration of a college.

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

10. an act of dispensing, especially formally.

    administration of the sacraments.

11. supervision of the taking of an oath or the like.

12. application, as of a salve or medicine.

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administration British  

/ ədˌmɪnɪˈstreɪʃən /

noun

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

2. the duties of an administrator

3. the body of people who administer an organization

4. the conduct of the affairs of government

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

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

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

8. a government board, agency, authority, etc

9. property law

   1. the conduct or disposal of the estate of a deceased person

   2. the management by a trustee of an estate subject to a trust

10. 1. the administering of something, such as a sacrament, oath, or medical treatment

    2. the thing that is administered

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• antiadministration
  noun
• misadministration
  noun
• preadministration
  noun
• self-administration
  noun
• subadministration
  noun
• superadministration
  noun
• administrational
  adjective
• administrative
  adjective
• proadministration
  adjective
• administratively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• administrations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of administration

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English administracio(u)n, from Latin administrātiōn- (stem of administrātiō ) “service”; see administrate, -ion

Explanation

Use the word administration to describe the group of people running an organization: “University administration declared Wednesday a snow day and sent everyone home early.” You’ve probably heard the noun administration used to describe a political group, such as the Bush administration or the Obama administration. It can also be used to refer to the daily activities involved in running a group or a program: “Carla handles the administration of the summer camp.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

administration administrations

Edge, who served a spell as education minister during the outgoing administration, said she would continue with her work on whistleblowing.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

“The contents of this call are on background, attributable to a senior administration official.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Toward the end the Obama administration, thousands of borrowers had their debt discharged through this process, known as borrower defense.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

The administration went on to detail letters sent to each outlet that provided examples of such reporting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

She had not made friends within the Wilson administration.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

The more than 600-page legislation would have divided oversight largely between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, replacing a regulatory patchwork that has shifted between administrations.

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

In the quarter of a century since the attacks, through several city administrations, officials have refused to release the municipal files that show what the city knew and when it knew it.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

The briefs - many still heavily redacted - were created during both the Clinton and Bush administrations.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Nudged by successive U.S. administrations, employers rushed to create hiring and retention programs for former military personnel after the Sept. 11 attacks and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

It is the kind of material that grips high school actors and audiences but terrifies school administrations.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

• board
• bureau
• cabinet
• committee
• department
• executive
• legislature
• management
• ministry
• presidency