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:
In fact, estates with little or no money can sometimes be the most difficult to administer because debts, creditors and property issues still have to be addressed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 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 root of the dispute is Paragraph 5, which says Iran will make arrangements to restore shipping through the strategic waterway and then work with Oman to determine how to administer it in the future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 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
“All CFers know how to administer their own treatments. We’re practically doctors by the time we’re twelve.”
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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
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
Emergency services are contacted in fewer than 2% of calls, according to Vibrant Emotional Health, the nonprofit organization that administers 988, and most of these dispatches are made with the caller’s consent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
“You might be surprised who administers the penalties.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
As the vet administered the euthanasia that ended Cosmo’s suffering, I cooed to him Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” until his paws didn’t flutter anymore.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Dentists could apply the gel quickly using a process similar to the way fluoride treatments are administered today.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
Just 12 years later, the Norsemen administered another hammer blow to English soccer’s fragile psyche, overcoming the Three Lions 2-0 in a 1993 qualifying game that contributed to England missing the 1994 World Cup entirely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
It is almost always fatal once symptoms appear in humans, but treatment administered before this point can be successful.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
But once you changed any of those variables — the material on the test, or the situation in which it was administered — the kinds of cheating would change as well.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
I want to honor her wishes regarding her burial, which she has already prepaid, but I’m concerned about the responsibilities involved with administering the estate.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Step Up said it follows statutory requirements in administering funds and reports “any complaints or reports of fraud” to the state education department.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Bowe pulled Shally Rahman to shore where bystanders began administering CPR.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Much of the voting public probably knows little about the process of administering US elections,” it says, “which could allow false narratives to gain traction.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Tumors of the kidneys have been induced in hamsters by administering estrogens.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
