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)
Related Words
See rule.
Other Word Forms
- administrant noun
- nonadministrant adjective
- self-administered adjective
- self-administering adjective
- unadministered adjective
- well-administered adjective
Etymology
Origin of administer
First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin administrāre “to assist, carry out, manage the affairs of” ( ad-, minister ); replacing Middle English amynistre (with a- 5 ), from Middle French aministrer
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.
Individuals will be able to choose to have a doctor administer a lethal dose intravenously, as happens in Spain, Canada, New Zealand and most of Australia.
From BBC
This includes the federal estate tax administered by the IRS.
From MarketWatch
Only then is a doctor authorized to administer the lethal drugs on the date and time the patient has chosen.
From Barron's
Perhaps the most immediate question facing businesses is how refund claims will be administered.
From Los Angeles Times
One example is the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin tuberculosis vaccine, administered to roughly 100 million newborns annually.
From Science Daily
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.
