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
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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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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:
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
The staff who created the clinic thought: why not use one of those vacant units to administer vaccines?
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
After making sure her funeral arrangements are carried out, can I decline or resign from serving as executor, or would I still be legally obligated to administer the estate?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
In California, two FDA-approved antivenom products, CroFab and Anavip, are supplied to hospitals who then can administer to patients in need.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
So did the two regents left in Qosqo by Wayna Qhapaq to administer the empire.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, whose agency administers the tariffs, has said he wants to bring many of those supply chains to the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
On Friday, more than 100,000 Muslims performed the weekly Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa, according to the Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian body that administers the site.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 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
Done Together sourced funding from Adferiad, which administers the Welsh government's culture grants scheme for projects supporting diversity, equality and inclusion.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026
I watch as he puts the thin wafer between her dry lips and administers the cup, murmuring in Latin.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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
He removed the tumour and part of the diseased jawbone, but the electrochemotherapy was administered to target any remaining cancerous cells.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Keytruda is administered at the same time to help make sure the patient’s immune response activates against the leftover cancer cells.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Ideally, the H5N1 vaccine should be administered in two doses with a gap of three-to-four weeks, Todd said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
It would be better if we had no courts of law, than that justice should be administered under such conditions!
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
They did this either by giving dietary supplements containing nitrate and iron or by administering synthetically produced DNIC.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 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
The 36-year-old Democratic congresswoman from New York shared videos of the fertility treatment on social media over the weekend, including footage of herself administering hormone injections.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
In previous years, North Northamptonshire Council has been awarded about £1.1m for administering the scheme.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
“I can't take over the job of administering justice,” he replied.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
