administer
Americanverb (used with object)
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administers,
present (3rd person singular)
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administered,
past participle, past
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administering
present participle
-
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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administers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
administered,
past participle, past
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administering
present participle
-
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:
Supporters would argue he is a man who is ready to administer the medicine the nation needs, even if people do not like the taste of it.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Future versions could potentially be taken as an oral tablet, which could make the treatment easier to administer and potentially broaden its use beyond mesothelioma.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
States will then purchase vaccines through the agency to administer at no cost under the Vaccines for Children program or to a program for uninsured or underinsured adults.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
She said the Fed could still hold rates steady rather than administer that medicine, but it would have to explain its decision clearly to markets.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Because relatives were sometimes impossible to locate, the committee began to administer the estates of the deceased who had no legal heirs or executors available.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Los Angeles City Charter Amendment LA looks to change the way the city manages its budget and administers public works to more efficiently deliver basic city services such as repairing streets and sidewalks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
On average, families complete the five-year program with $8,500 in savings, according to Compass Working Capital, one of the HUD partners that administers the program and also provides financial coaching to tenants who participate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Lawton's letter was sent from a company called Equiniti, which administers the pension scheme on behalf of the MoD.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
He grooms them, administers their daily doses of medicine by hand and recognizes their individual personalities.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
His wife, Rosita, administers first aid to migrants.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
“The facts provided by Jane Doe’s statement do not allege that she was either rendered incapable of controlling her own conduct or that any drug was administered to her without her consent.”
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Post-exposure rabies vaccination usually involves two to four doses and is administered in the arm, just like a flu shot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Since the outbreak started, the county has given 538 MMR vaccines, 340 of which they administered in private settings.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
The other half were administered Shingrix during the same five months in 2018.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Proctors strode up and down the aisles as they administered the exam.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
The defendants ran dubious nonprofits that contracted with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and nongovernment organizations responsible for administering billions of dollars in homeless funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Minnesota are among a small group of states with a decentralized election system, in which individual cities and towns, rather than counties, are responsible for administering ballots.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
If my trust remains unfunded, who pays the expenses of administering my estate/trust, such as attorney fees, cremation, and other costs?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
It is common practice for the state to consider aligning its tax code with the federal structure to make filing taxes easier and administering them more cheaply.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
These men were in charge of administering the prisons on a day-to-day basis.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
