self-administer

verb

self-ad·​min·​is·​ter ˌself-əd-ˈmi-nə-stər How to pronounce self-administer (audio)
self-administered; self-administering; self-administers

transitive + intransitive

: to administer (something, such as a drug) to oneself
can self-administer the drug with an inhaler
allowed to self-administer the test
Those regulations … also state that only a school nurse can apply medications, but exemptions exist that allow students in some cases to self-administer according to district guidelines.Jennifer Bogdan

Examples of self-administer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What effect will the policy change have on asthma patients? Asthma and allergy doctors say that forcing patients to self-administer these drugs at home could have life-threatening consequences. Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2025 All of the mice were given opportunities to self-administer doses of a potent opioid. Richard A. Friedman, The Atlantic, 29 Nov. 2024 Lilly is offering single-dose vials that patients self-administer using a needle and syringe. Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 11 Mar. 2025 However, videos posted on social media show that consumers have been able to purchase vials of glutathione and self-administer at home. Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025 In one study involving 22 people, ages ten to 21, with mild to moderate Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, Sahn and his colleagues had the participants self-administer VNS through the outside of the left ear for five minutes, twice per day. Stacey Colino, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024 The patient self-administers a lethal dose prescribed by a physician after two doctors have signed off on the procedure. Karlyn Bowman, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024 As Strangio has written, cis women have much to learn from trans people, who have spent decades learning to self-administer medication and navigate openly hostile medical institutions, both within and beyond the law. Colleen Hamilton, Them, 4 Dec. 2024 These would include confirmation of a patient's mental competence, assessment by two independent doctors and likely a requirement for drugs to be self-administered. Harriet Marsden, theweek, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-administer was in 1846

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Self-administer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-administer. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

Medical Definition

self-administer

transitive verb
self-ad·​min·​i·​ster -əd-ˈmi-nə-stər How to pronounce self-administer (audio)
: to administer (as a drug) to oneself
self-administered an analgesic
self-administration noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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