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
-
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:
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
We also would have to administer a standardized test in certain grades, if we were going to open an actual school, and maintain annual records about student attendance and immunizations.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
The California Housing Finance Agency would administer the program, including setting interest rates for the loans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Supporters would argue he is a man who is ready to administer the medicine the nation needs, even if people do not like the taste of it.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
“I was testing you. I would not have been pleased if either of you were eager to administer death.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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 Commerce Department, which administers the steel and aluminum tariffs, declined to comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
“You might be surprised who administers the penalties.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
She was found clinging to a tree in late September and tranquilised by a rescue team who administered oxygen and intravenous fluids before moving her to the rehabilitation centre.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
“The facts provided by Jane Doe’s statement do not allege that she was either rendered incapable of controlling her own conduct or that any drug was administered to her without her consent,” he stated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
In the mouse experiments, researchers administered the gerozyme inhibitor twice a week for four weeks after injury.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Post-exposure rabies vaccination usually involves two to four doses and is administered in the arm, just like a flu shot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
“No—but I do know that it’s being administered by Scythe Cervantes, and he tends to be very physically minded. For all I know, he’ll have you tilting at windmills.”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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
Within minutes of administering vitamin B6, Ann's seizure activity stopped.
From BBC ● 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
Establishing and administering a trust can involve significant legal, accounting and administrative expenses, and any investment income from that trust may be subject to high federal income-tax rates.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 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.
