administer
verb
ad·min·is·ter
əd-ˈmi-nə-stər 
administered; administering
əd-ˈmi-nə-st(ə-)riŋ
1
: to manage or supervise the execution, use, or conduct of
administer a trust fund
2
a
: to provide or apply : dispense
administer justice
administer punishment
b
: to give officially or as part of a ritual
administer a test
administer the last rites
c
: to give remedially
administer a dose of medicine
1
: to perform the office of administrator
2
: to furnish a benefit : minister
administer to an ailing friend
3
: to manage affairs
Synonyms
Examples of administer in a Sentence
As a cost-saving measure, voters have elected to have the two towns administered jointly.
The UN personnel are there to help administer the territory.
She's been hired to administer the fund.
The assistant will administer the test.
a priest to administer the sacraments
Recent Examples on the Web
The ceremony, held at South Mountain Community College on Thursday morning, was presided over by U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silver, who administered the Oath of Allegiance and welcomed new citizens with a warming speech commending recipients for their new status.
—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 4 July 2024
Among the group was 22-year-old Indian American Pooja Tanjore, a master’s student at Columbia University in New York and a diplomatic fellow with USAID, which administers foreign aid and development assistance.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 3 July 2024
Nearly 1 in 10 Maryland high school students reported attempting suicide at least once in the year leading up to the fall of 2022, according to the latest results from a national survey administered every two years by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024
At least two of those big effects, neither of which depends on administering a psychedelic, appear to be capable of generating a profound therapeutic impact that certainly would be sufficient on its own to claim the outcomes seen in psychedelic trials.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for administer 
Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 4 July 2024
Among the group was 22-year-old Indian American Pooja Tanjore, a master’s student at Columbia University in New York and a diplomatic fellow with USAID, which administers foreign aid and development assistance.
—Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 3 July 2024
Nearly 1 in 10 Maryland high school students reported attempting suicide at least once in the year leading up to the fall of 2022, according to the latest results from a national survey administered every two years by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 3 July 2024
At least two of those big effects, neither of which depends on administering a psychedelic, appear to be capable of generating a profound therapeutic impact that certainly would be sufficient on its own to claim the outcomes seen in psychedelic trials.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 3 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for administer
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'administer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near administer
Cite this Entry
“Administer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/administer. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
administer
verb
ad·min·is·ter
əd-ˈmin-ə-stər
administered; administering
-st(ə-)riŋ
1
: to direct the affairs of : manage
administer a government
2
: to give out as deserved
administer justice
3
: to give formally or ceremonially
administer the sacraments
4
: to give as treatment
administer a drug
Medical Definition
administer
transitive verb
ad·min·is·ter
əd-ˈmin-ə-stər
administered; administering
-st(ə-)riŋ
: to give (as medicine) remedially
the antibiotic may be administered orally or by injection
Legal Definition
administer
verb
ad·min·is·ter
əd-ˈmi-nə-stər
administered; administering
1
: to manage the affairs of (as a government or agency)
2
a
: to direct or supervise the execution, use, or conduct of
administer a trust fund
b
: to settle (an estate) under a court appointment as administrator or executor
3
a
: to give ritually
administer an oath
b
: to give (as a narcotic) for the purpose of ingesting
1
: to perform the office of an administrator or executor
2
: to manage or conduct affairs
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share