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:
Such a system would be more complex, more expensive to administer and could ultimately undermine the broad public support that has sustained Social Security for nearly a century.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
It will also administer and implement a process to decommission and store heavy weapons, military production sites, depots of weapons, and tunnels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Judges take an oath to administer justice “without respect to persons.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
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
After Chella died, he was moved into her corner, the corner that Kuttappen imagined was the corner of his home that Death had reserved to administer her deathly affairs.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
The Essequibo region comprises more than two thirds of Guyana, which currently administers it.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
I know of a nurse in San Francisco who screeches her car to a stop when she spots a person in bodily distress and administers CPR if appropriate.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
The drop represents nearly 47% of the state’s participants in the program better known as food stamps and includes about 180,000 children, according to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, which administers the program.
From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2026
ETS, which administers testing for teachers, also declined.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 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
If you decide not to serve, however, the law firm recommends that you do so promptly so the estate can be administered without unnecessary delays.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
The researchers are investigating ways to make BRP last longer so that, if it eventually works in people, it could be administered on a more practical schedule.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
The medication, which was first developed 15 years ago, can result in increased height if administered during growth spurts.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Some passengers were frantically clinging to the hull of the partially submerged vessel, he said, as rescuers administered CPR to a man on a San Francisco police boat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
He is civiliter mortus; and his estate, if he has any, is administered like that of a dead man.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
As executor, you would be responsible for administering the estate from start to finish.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Step Up said it follows statutory requirements in administering funds and reports “any complaints or reports of fraud” to the state education department.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
“Much of the voting public probably knows little about the process of administering US elections,” it says, “which could allow false narratives to gain traction.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
During the appointment, Sawyer offered to inject up to a litre of filler, provided prescription-only medicines without a prescription being issued and suggested administering local anaesthetic without a prescriber present.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
He then decided to speed up the process by increasing the dosage to ten and fifteen and administering it three times in a single day, until it resulted in five large evacuations.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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.
