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

He said that his administration had reviewed every available avenue to determine whether city authorities could arrest Netanyahu.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

The National Park Service announced in February — after the agency under the Biden administration studied extensively how to best implement a reservation system — that officials would instead use “targeted management.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

But the backstory is important: Earlier this month, the administration decided not to renew the U.S.–Mexico–Canada Agreement.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

FSG purchased Liverpool in 2010 for £300m, when the club was on the verge of administration.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Kennedy wanted everyone in his administration to read it, to ponder its chilling lessons.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Finally, as with all previous administrations, how a Burnham-led government reacts to events beyond its control may have the biggest impact on the money in people's pockets.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

And Bryce Harlow, a veteran staffer in Republican administrations, recruited Mr. Alexander from youthful obscurity and taught him the machinery of politics and government in Richard Nixon’s White House.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Other administrations have been accused of targeting foreign leaders before.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

The Obama and George W. Bush administrations together filed just eight petitions in 16 years.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

The central question is mobility, said Bruce R. Bartlett, an advocate of lower taxes who served in the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

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