administer
Americanverb (used with object)
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to manage (affairs, a government, etc.); have executive charge of.
to administer the law.
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to bring into use or operation: to administer last rites.
to administer justice;
to administer last rites.
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to make application of; give.
to administer medicine.
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to supervise the formal taking of (an oath or the like).
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Law. to manage or dispose of, as a decedent's estate by an executor or administrator or a trust estate by a trustee.
verb (used without object)
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to contribute assistance; bring aid or supplies (usually followed byto ).
to administer to those in need of aid.
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to perform the duties of an administrator.
She administers quite effectively.
verb
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(also intr) to direct or control (the affairs of a business, government, etc)
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to put into execution; dispense
administer justice
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to give or apply (medicine, assistance, etc) as a remedy or relief
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to apply formally; perform
to administer extreme unction
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to supervise or impose the taking of (an oath, etc)
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to manage or distribute (an estate, property, etc)
Synonym Usage
See rule.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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administrantnoun
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nonadministrantadjective
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self-administeredadjective
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self-administeringadjective
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unadministeredadjective
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well-administeredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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administersimple
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administerssimple
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have administeredperfect
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has administeredperfect
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am administeringprogressive
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are administeringprogressive
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is administeringprogressive
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have been administeringperfect progressive
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has been administeringperfect progressive
Past
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administeredsimple
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had administeredperfect
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was administeringprogressive
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were administeringprogressive
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had been administeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of administer
First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin administrāre “to assist, carry out, manage the affairs of” ( see ad-, minister); replacing Middle English amynistre (with a- 5 ), from Middle French aministrer
Explanation
When you administer something, you give it to others. This can apply to a dose of medicine, an order, a survey, or a punishment. Administer can also mean to run something — such as a school or an office. The word administer belongs to a family of words, all having to do with being in charge: administration, administrator, and administrative. Strangely, administer comes from the Latin word minister meaning "servant." So, if your boss or principal administers an instruction that you disagree with, just think of that person as your servant. Doing so will help you carry out your duties with a smile.
Vocabulary lists containing administer
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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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 2002, Congress created the Election Assistance Commission to administer the Help America Vote Act, which assists states in reforming their elections.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
Davids — who grew up in South Africa, where culturally it’s common for grandmothers to administer enemas to children in rural areas — does a coffee enema twice per month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator, has also said that Iran will administer the strait after the war ends, according to Iranian state media.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
People with type 1 diabetes must monitor their blood glucose levels and administer insulin, either through injections or a pump, to replace the hormone their bodies can no longer produce enough of.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
She slept in the room that adjoined her mother’s, ready at any moment to run in and administer her potions, hold her bedpan, or straighten her pillows.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
The College Board, which administers the SAT, said about 6.7% of students taking the exam got extra time last year, compared with 2% a decade ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
He grooms them, administers their daily doses of medicine by hand and recognizes their individual personalities.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
The Essequibo region comprises more than two thirds of Guyana, which currently administers it.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Emergency services are contacted in fewer than 2% of calls, according to Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit organization that administers 988, and most of these dispatches are made with the caller’s consent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
Every four years, an international group of educators administers a comprehensive mathematics and science test to elementary and junior high students around the world.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
It is almost always fatal once symptoms appear in humans, but treatment administered before this point can be successful.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
And despite the rules stating that a challenge from behind with studs-on-calf contact and a level of force should be a red card — no card was administered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The exact number of cases may never even be known, because family disputes are administered via county-level probate courts and there’s no national tracking of these cases.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
After being administered systemically, NO-Cbl successfully crossed the blood-brain barrier and accumulated preferentially within glioblastoma tissue.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 27, 2026
Although the doctor administered oxygen and medication, by midnight Wlasich was dead.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
In France, non-medical practitioners are prohibited from administering injectable cosmetic treatments.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh were among those in attendance on Friday, with the former administering the oath of office to Warsh.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
The secretary of state plays a central role in administering statewide elections, providing voters with information about ballot measures and statewide candidates as well as overseeing campaign financing and lobbying activity.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
CMS should publicly report the number of denials issued through WISeR and the financial gains realized by contractors administering the program, Cantwell said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026
And they did: “My friends inform me that Mr. A. speaks of me with great friendship,” Jefferson observed, “and with satisfaction in the prospect of administering the government in concurrence with me.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
