administer

verb

əd-ˈmi-nə-stər How to pronounce administer (audio)
Definition of administernext
1
as in to distribute
to give out (something) to appropriate individuals the principal administers discipline fairly when students break the rules

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to enforce
to carry out effectively local officials should see that the fair housing laws are rigorously administered

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to manage
to look after and make decisions about the lieutenant governor administers the affairs of the state in the absence of the governor

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of administer The most recent version was administered as part of the Gallup World Poll through a combination of in-person, telephone and online surveys of more than 140,000 adults. — Nicholas Florko, STAT, 10 Oct. 2026 Two other inmates, Thomas Creech of Idaho and Tony Carruthers of Tennessee, remain on death row after failed attempts to administer lethal injection drugs. — Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Pike was administered two doses of the solution, witnesses said. — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026 If a drug is administered as a racemic mixture of both hands, one mirror image may fit the receptor perfectly, while its mirror twin doesn’t. — Mallory Green, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for administer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for administer
  1. distribute
  2. enforce
  3. manage
  4. dispense
  5. implement
  6. supervise
  7. provide
  8. oversee
Verb
  • Major Player Last year, BBC Studios teamed with CosmoBlue to distribute channels and launch a new general entertainment network across the Middle East and North Africa regions and Turkey.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
  • That came after the company distributed about 471 million warrants giving holders of Paramount Skydance’s PSKY Class B shares the option to purchase stock in the new company for $12/share.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of distribute
Verb
  • The judge also found the city liable because Harris had final authority to enforce the public-participation policy during council meetings.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
  • SpaceX agreed to testify earlier this week after the council threatened to have its subpoena enforced by a judge.
    — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of enforce
Verb
  • The main idea of the company is to automate parts of these missions so personnel can concentrate on operational decisions rather than manually managing every aspect of a drone’s flight or sensor operation.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Graham’s poetry—as readers of The New York Review will know—somehow manages to reckon with the whole spectrum of human existence in the 2020s.
    — Matthew Aucoin, The New York Review of Books, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of manage
Verb
  • Despite those circumstances, Yusuf continued dispensing oxycodone to Llerena, according to the factual proffer.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Studio 1 tracks the amount dispensed to estimate how much remains.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of dispense
Verb
  • At the same time, luxury stands to gain the most from digital product infrastructure if it’s implemented strategically, Skrami said.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The police department has since implemented a new system to prioritize the completion of its disciplinary process before an officer can retire, Mamdani said Monday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of implement
Verb
  • Fisker Automotive said that an internal investigation supervised by transportation regulators found salt corrosion had caused a short circuit in the battery, leading to the fire, rather than a preexisting defect.
    — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Moton discussed it and his future with numerous people, including his family and Panthers team doctor Nancy Gritter, who supervised much of his care.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • InToto, a creative arts forum, provides programming for people experiencing economic hardship, and at his African Village in America, an ongoing art installation, Joe Minter brings the living memory of the Black experience into central focus.
    — Leslie Pariseau, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Evenson said the Missouri Department of Transportation had no issue with the bike race using the bridge, as long as the contractor provides permission.
    — Glory Reitz, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of provide
Verb
  • The list of senior executives did not answer the question of who would oversee the old Paramount and Warner Bros.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Florida has the nation’s busiest death chamber DeSantis, who leaves office in January, oversaw 19 executions in 2025, more than any other Florida governor in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
    — David Fischer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of oversee

Phrases Containing administer

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admeasuring
administer
administered
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Cite this Entry

“Administer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/administer. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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