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
  • Each of the company’s more than 20 brands is distributed in North America, with many earning the top spot in key categories.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • An end is in sight for China's yearslong property market slump, S&P Global Ratings analysts said in a report distributed Thursday.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of distribute
Verb
  • But by 2010, Mexican immigration had fallen to net zero; most people arriving at the southern border came from Central America and beyond, and Mexico became an essential partner in helping the United States enforce its immigration laws.
    — Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
  • But public officials might get pushback from an AI-anxious public for relying so heavily on technology to enforce laws.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 9 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
  • In May, a federal appeals court granted Louisiana’s request to reinstate a nationwide requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in person.
    — Aria Bendix, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The agency has repeatedly reaffirmed the pill’s safety and effectiveness over the years, in addition to easing a number of restrictions on the drug, including dropping a requirement that it be dispensed in person.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 8 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
  • An engineer may have no human direct reports but still direct five agents, and a finance professional may supervise an agentic workflow.
    — Keith Ferrazzi, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • At least three employees supervised by Perera have filed bullying complaints with DIR’s Office of Equity and Risk.
    — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 8 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 15 Oct. 2026.

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