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)
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:
Even if you are his legal next of kin, it does not obligate you to administer his estate or arrange the funeral.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
Judges take an oath to administer justice “without respect to persons.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
In 2002, Congress created the Election Assistance Commission to administer the Help America Vote Act, which assists states in reforming their elections.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
The proposition would allow the California Housing Finance Agency to issue up to $25 billion in revenue bonds to administer the program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Many of these people died, Carey pointed out, “without a human being to hand them a drink of water, to administer medicines, or to perform any charitable office for them.”
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
He grooms them, administers their daily doses of medicine by hand and recognizes their individual personalities.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
I know of a nurse in San Francisco who screeches her car to a stop when she spots a person in bodily distress and administers CPR if appropriate.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
Brett Bezio, a spokesman for Arizona’s Department of Economic Security, which administers the program there, said work-requirement changes were the primary driver of the drop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 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
His wife, Rosita, administers first aid to migrants.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
The medication, which was first developed 15 years ago, can result in increased height if administered during growth spurts.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Barzar started to put a small amount of his paycheck into the account administered by T. Rowe Price, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
And despite the rules stating that a challenge from behind with studs-on-calf contact and a level of force should be a red card — no card was administered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The exact number of cases may never even be known, because family disputes are administered via county-level probate courts and there’s no national tracking of these cases.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
I am not unschooled in the arts of gallantry, but my lessons were administered through observation rather than practice; and I found myself unpossessed of even the slightest article of sense.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Araghchi on Saturday arrived in Oman, which sits on the other side of Hormuz, for talks on administering the strait.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
The ballad, The Fields of Athenry, refers to it as "Trevelyan's corn", after the civil servant who had responsibility for administering relief during the famine, Charles Trevelyan.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
The secretary of state plays a central role in administering statewide elections, providing voters with information about ballot measures and statewide candidates as well as overseeing campaign financing and lobbying activity.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
CMS should publicly report the number of denials issued through WISeR and the financial gains realized by contractors administering the program, Cantwell said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026
“You won’t have to do anything, besides administering the test.”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
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.
