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
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
Conservatives, including former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, have talked about setting up a quasi-private bank to administer loans.
—
Bianca Vázquez Toness, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
Payments are administered on a monthly basis and paid in one lump sum for most recipients.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025
During that timeframe this year, more than 11,600 measles vaccines were administered in New Mexico — about half given to adults and half to children.
—TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
One thing that does fall under the D.O.E.’s remit, however, is administering the tests and collecting the data for the annual NAEP report, under the aegis of the National Center for Education Statistics.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for administer
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Bianca Vázquez Toness, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
Payments are administered on a monthly basis and paid in one lump sum for most recipients.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025
During that timeframe this year, more than 11,600 measles vaccines were administered in New Mexico — about half given to adults and half to children.
—TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
One thing that does fall under the D.O.E.’s remit, however, is administering the tests and collecting the data for the annual NAEP report, under the aegis of the National Center for Education Statistics.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for administer
Cite this Entry
“Administer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/administer. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.
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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