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
Those drugs were in her system from previous use or administered to her in the hospital, the office said.
—
Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
Indigenous people in Costa Rica, whose territories cover about 7 percent of the country, receive around 12 percent of the program’s resources, according to the National Forestry Financing Fund that administers it.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 22 Apr. 2024
Researchers checked documents and witness reports to confirm details like whether there was evidence that a prisoner made visible or audible expressions of pain, was still conscious after a drug was administered, or whether execution workers had struggled at length to find a prisoner's veins.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
Some depot antipsychotics are given every two to eight weeks, and the contraceptive Depo-Provera is administered once every three months.
—Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
They are considered safe when administered by licensed health care providers who meet medical control standards as dictated by the FDA.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The chocolate acts as a conduit for administering Psilocybin and plays an integral role in shaping both aroma and overall satisfaction.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
The Cedars-Sinai health system in Los Angeles started administering the drug in early March.
—Tom Murphy, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
The funding is part of the Shelter and Services Program, which is jointly administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
—Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
Indigenous people in Costa Rica, whose territories cover about 7 percent of the country, receive around 12 percent of the program’s resources, according to the National Forestry Financing Fund that administers it.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 22 Apr. 2024
Researchers checked documents and witness reports to confirm details like whether there was evidence that a prisoner made visible or audible expressions of pain, was still conscious after a drug was administered, or whether execution workers had struggled at length to find a prisoner's veins.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
Some depot antipsychotics are given every two to eight weeks, and the contraceptive Depo-Provera is administered once every three months.
—Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
They are considered safe when administered by licensed health care providers who meet medical control standards as dictated by the FDA.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The chocolate acts as a conduit for administering Psilocybin and plays an integral role in shaping both aroma and overall satisfaction.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
The Cedars-Sinai health system in Los Angeles started administering the drug in early March.
—Tom Murphy, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
The funding is part of the Shelter and Services Program, which is jointly administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
—Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
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 27 Apr. 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
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