administer
Americanverb (used with object)
-
administers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
administered,
past participle, past
-
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
-
had administeredperfect
-
was administeringprogressive
-
were administeringprogressive
-
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:
Before to Tuesday’s vote, CoC chair Ben Kay gave a recap of measures the board took to administer an impartial evaluation that scored the county higher than the city on handling homelessness issues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
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
Drug premiums in Medicare Advantage are typically lower than for stand-alone Part D plans because insurers who administer the former can subsidize their drug plans with savings from, say, reducing hospitalizations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 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
Rulers they were, and they often used the courts to maintain control, not to administer justice.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
On average, families complete the five-year program with $8,500 in savings, according to Compass Working Capital, one of the HUD partners that administers the program and also provides financial coaching to tenants who participate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 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 College Board, which administers the SAT, said about 6.7% of students taking the exam got extra time last year, compared with 2% a decade ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
He grooms them, administers their daily doses of medicine by hand and recognizes their individual personalities.
From Salon ● May 17, 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
It’s a groundbreaking new approach that makes use of the patient’s own DNA to create a custom treatment that’s administered alongside Keytruda, Merck’s cancer drug.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
The new $25 million antifraud program will be administered by the Justice Department.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
They administered TIMP2 through injections to older mice, allowing the protein to circulate throughout the body.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
ETS, a nonprofit assessment organization, helps manage and provide testing-related services for students enrolled in California public schools, including the required Smarter Balanced tests administered in spring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
And despite his own insistence that his cure needed to be administered at the first signs of fever, he did not have himself bled or purged.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Padilla stressed that the new Senate observers would have no role in administering elections or handling ballots.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Major medical groups condemn lethal injections so the people administering the drugs often have limited medical qualifications, experts said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
The secretary of state is in charge of administering statewide elections, providing information about ballot measures and candidates to voters and overseeing campaign financing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
If my trust remains unfunded, who pays the expenses of administering my estate/trust, such as attorney fees, cremation, and other costs?
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Tumors of the kidneys have been induced in hamsters by administering estrogens.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
