administer

[ ad-min-uh-ster ]

/ ædˈmɪn ə stər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: administer / administered / administering / administrant on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to manage (affairs, a government, etc.); have executive charge of: to administer the law.

to bring into use or operation: to administer justice;to administer last rites.

to make application of; give: to administer medicine.

to supervise the formal taking of (an oath or the like).

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)

to contribute assistance; bring aid or supplies (usually followed by to): to administer to those in need of aid.

to perform the duties of an administrator: She administers quite effectively.

OTHER WORDS FOR administer

1 conduct, control, direct, manage, run, superintend, supervise, oversee.

2 provide, supply, furnish.

See synonyms for administer on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

synonym study for administer

1. See rule.

OTHER WORDS FROM administer

ad·min·is·trant

[ad-min-uh-struhnt], /ædˈmɪn ə strənt/, nounnon·ad·min·is·trant, adjectiveself-ad·min·is·tered, adjectiveself-ad·min·is·ter·ing, adjective

un·ad·min·is·tered, adjectivewell-ad·min·is·tered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use administer in a sentence

At night, high on the tranquilizers the staff administers to orphans—this is the early 1960s—she practices tactics in bed, staring up at a chess board that she hallucinates on the ceiling.
Scientists Analyzed 24,000 Chess Matches to Understand Cognition - Facts So Romantic|Brian Gallagher|November 20, 2020|Nautilus
A 2017 study, based on surveys administered before and after the 2012 election, found that “belief in election fraud is a common and predictable consequence of both underlying conspiratorial thinking and motivated partisan reasoning.”
Why America Is Ripe for Election Conspiracy Theorizing - Facts So Romantic|Brian Gallagher|November 17, 2020|Nautilus
Many of the available antigen tests require machines to read the results or someone who’s trained to administer the test.
Rapid Testing Is Less Accurate Than the Government Wants to Admit|by Lisa Song|November 16, 2020|ProPublica
The patches don’t have the same cold temperature requirements for storage that the syringe-based measles vaccine does, says Moss, and the adhesive-backed patches can be administered with minimal training.
Measles has come back with a vengeance in the last several years|Aimee Cunningham|November 13, 2020|Science News

Second, elections are administered, and House districts drawn, by partisan politicians.
The crisis isn’t too much polarization. It’s too little democracy.|Ezra Klein|November 12, 2020|Vox
She was administering CPR when an FDNY ambulance arrived and those paramedics took over.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sure, I can counsel concerned parents that none of the childhood vaccines I will be administering contain thimerosal.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Twisted Anti-Vaxx History|Russell Saunders|July 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The first shot of his face is sort-of a peek-a-boo in between bouts of administering some, um, oral pleasure.
‘True Blood’ Star Ryan Kwanten Looks Back on Jason Stackhouse’s Craziest Scenes|Kevin Fallon|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Administering chemotherapy in hospital outpatient settings is even more expensive, studies show.
Having Cancer Gets Even More Expensive|Kaiser Health News|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The evidence against administering the MMR vaccine to healthy individuals is utterly without merit.
Thanks, Anti-Vaxxers. You Just Brought Back Measles in NYC.|Russell Saunders|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Aristide washed and powdered Jean himself, the landlord lounging by, pipe in mouth, administering suggestions.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
The number of Boas-Oppler bacilli can be increased by administering a few ounces of sugar of milk the day before the examination.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
In the early days of administering the patent law injunctions were granted against infringers.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
The British system of administering justice is one that in many particulars we could imitate to advantage in this country.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
She had an artless way of administering cruel stabs to her female acquaintances which frequently turned them into enemies.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for administer

administer

/ (ədˈmɪnɪstə) /

verb (mainly tr)

(also intr) to direct or control (the affairs of a business, government, etc)

to put into execution; dispenseadminister justice

(when intr, foll by to) to give or apply (medicine, assistance, etc) as a remedy or relief

to apply formally; performto administer extreme unction

to supervise or impose the taking of (an oath, etc)

to manage or distribute (an estate, property, etc)

Word Origin for administer

C14: amynistre, via Old French from Latin administrare, from ad- to + ministrāre to minister

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

administer

OTHER WORDS FOR administer

Origin of administer

synonym study for administer

OTHER WORDS FROM administer

Words related to administer

How to use administer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for administer

Word Origin for administer