administer
Americanverb (used with object)
-
administers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
administered,
past participle, past
-
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
-
administering
present participle
-
to contribute assistance; bring aid or supplies (usually followed byto ).
to administer to those in need of aid.
-
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
-
has been administeringperfect progressive
Past
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administeredsimple
-
had administeredperfect
-
was administeringprogressive
-
were administeringprogressive
-
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:
That’s how the doctors knew to administer the treatment before surgery.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties,” they said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
“Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
My earlier analysis pointed to the three bulwarks against attempted election subversion—the state and local governments that administer elections, the courts that protect rights, and the American people who are democracy’s ultimate safeguard.
From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026
Rulers they were, and they often used the courts to maintain control, not to administer justice.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
In Maine, which is among the states most dependent on heating oil, the state’s housing authority, aka MaineHousing, administers the federal Low-Income Energy Assistance Program.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
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
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
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
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
Keytruda is often given to patients after surgery to prevent the return of their cancer, but sometimes it’s administered to patients in advance of surgery to shrink the tumor.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
The evidence was contained in leaked files, including thousands of documents about Abramovich's finances and the operations of a network of offshore companies, administered from Cyprus between 1995 and 2022.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Colorado’s public plans, which are privately administered, now account for half of the state individual market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
They administered TIMP2 through injections to older mice, allowing the protein to circulate throughout the body.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
The Lincoln Memorial was administered by the U.S.
From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman
Padilla stressed that the new Senate observers would have no role in administering elections or handling ballots.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Most of the time, little information is available to the public about the people administering the lethal injection, as the states do not usually share what training they have had.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The controller is the state’s fiscal watchdog, responsible for auditing government agencies, administering payroll for state employees and reuniting abandoned assets with their owners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
That agreement promised to provide relief from sanctions on oil sales, grant access to Iran’s frozen assets and acknowledge a role for Tehran administering the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for opening the waterway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
But Dad hated unprintable words, and the fact that he had stood up for his son didn’t prevent him from holding a full-dress court of inquiry once he got home, and administering the called-for punishment.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
