administrator
Americannoun
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administrators
plural
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a person who manages or has a talent for managing.
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Law. a person appointed by a court to take charge of the estate of a decedent, but not appointed in the decedent's will.
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Computers. Also admin
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a person who manages and supports a computer system or network, as in a business or other organization.
the company’s system administrator;
a database administrator.
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a person who determines the site policies, appoints moderators, and manages the technical operation of an internet message board or other interactive website.
a forum administrator.
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a user account on a home computer accessible only by the user who manages the computer system.
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a user who has access to this user account.
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noun
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a person who administers the affairs of an organization, official body, etc
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property law a person authorized to manage an estate, esp when the owner has died intestate or without having appointed executors
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a person who manages a computer system
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of administrator
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French administratour, from Latin administrātor, equivalent to administrā(re) “to assist, serve” ( see administer) + -tor -tor
Explanation
The boss, the head honcho, the person in charge: An administrator is the person responsible for managing things and running the show. Administrators are often found directing government agencies, organizing institutions, or leading school departments. They're the decision makers and the planners, the people who put in place or administer the rules and guidelines. In other words, the administrator's office is probably the last place you want to end up if you're in trouble.
Vocabulary lists containing administrator
Like A Boss: Words for the Person in Charge
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The Executive Branch: The Presidency and Vice Presidency
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The Parker Inheritance
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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.
See Examples For:
In an accompanying editorial, Robert M. Vincent, a former associate administrator for the U.S.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
The old railroad town has become a destination for retirees like Summers, 74, a former administrator at Cal State San Bernardino, and for commuters who don’t mind the roughly 25-mile drive to Tucson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
The spidey senses of a Monterey school administrator started tingling when an invoice the food services director submitted for eggs, bacon and potatoes at Costco came with an exorbitant price tag.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
It also did not review local administrator accounts after they were first deployed, with accounts on three affected systems using the same password, for the same period of time.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
The administrator didn't blink as she stared right at me.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
The retailer's directors are filing a notice of intention to appoint administrators, which if approved by the High Court, will give the business 10 days breathing space to find a rescue deal.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Jackson eventually convinced his school administrators to let him lead a separate class on financial literacy and college preparedness, which he teaches today to high-school seniors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
College administrators also wondered if it wouldn’t be better to have a women’s soccer team, given the demographics of the San Fernando Valley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
Arts administrators from Long Beach and West Hollywood described local initiatives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
When administrators sought to determine which departments were most guilty, they found that in each department a higher percentage of women applicants was admitted than men applicants.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
