administer
Americanverb (used with object)
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administers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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
-
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:
The fallout was largely documented on the cat haven’s Facebook page with posts of veterinary and haven staff working together to administer heart compressions on the large black cat lying on the medical table.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Fight back and protect the people who administer elections.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Preschools receive money from the feds to administer the program—$12 billion this year—with no requirements that they improve outcomes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
It's part of a health visitor's job to remind parents about vaccines and, in some cases, administer jabs directly.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
“I cannot stand idly by while she suffers. I have some skill with plants and potions. Let me administer a medicine that might restore balance to her mind,” I plead.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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
The third-party certifying body administers random testing throughout the growing process and tests each product that arrives at the company’s New Jersey warehouse before it is released to stores, according to the website.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 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
A prize that requires consensus among people who disagree about nearly everything is harder to pull toward any one agenda than a prize administered by allies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
For relatively complicated reasons, some low earners whose employer used what's known as a Net Pay Arrangement pension scheme received less than those whose pension was administered through a Relief at Source scheme.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
EVs administered without the MAP scaffold failed to produce comparable blood vessel repair.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
The firm did not specify how people will be asked to apply, but the program will be administered by an independent third party unaffiliated with the company, the district attorney’s office said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
“I administered, an antidote but hours ago. Do not try to rise yet.”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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
But the process of administering justice is far more subjective and messy than we often admit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
“We’ve spent a ton of resources in Minneapolis combating fraud, and that includes a very intense look at the leadership and the programs and who’s administering them,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Wasn’t she taken away from you and taken to the hospital at Pawhuska? Weren’t you administering insulin to her?”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
