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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 common side effects include a low-grade fever, rash and soreness where the vaccine is administered in the body. — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 The Competition is administered by Company using the Yahoo Fantasy Sports platform. — The Athletic, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 The grant was awarded through the State Local Bridge Program, administered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026 Similar models exist in other countries and are seen as important to accelerating breakthroughs and administering life-saving treatments especially for rare diseases, where there is little commercial incentive for research. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 July 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
  • This was some 50 pallets containing more than 150,000 pieces of athletic gear – 6,500 pairs of shoes alone – all of which had to be sorted by team and distributed across campus in less than a month.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The power also gave the Kittrells' son the right to revoke the Children's Trust and distribute all the assets to the Kittrells.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of distribute
Verb
  • Open weights run locally with no vendor-side control surface, so no vendor can enforce a prohibition for you.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Chinese courts have also widened their reach over cross-border disputes, particularly in global patent litigation, by ordering parties not to pursue or enforce competing proceedings abroad.
    — Mark Jia, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of enforce
Verb
  • Syeda Sultana, chief operating officer at the digital marketing platform Vettted, spent a decade managing a global sustainability program.
    — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Iran has insisted on a role in managing traffic through the strait.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of manage
Verb
  • Instead, the provider manages gas sourcing, compression, transportation, storage, and dispensing through a single service.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Utilities use them to trip the opening or closing of valves when water levels reach a certain threshold or to dispense precise amounts of chlorine in the treatment process.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of dispense
Verb
  • Months before closing the accounts, Capital One agreed to pay a $390,000,000 penalty to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network for failing to implement and maintain an effective anti-money laundering program.
    — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
  • But Roy Cohn—an American scoundrel and the lawyer who helped send Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair, aided Senator Joseph McCarthy in implementing the Red Scare, and showed Trump the ropes in the real-estate business—was long gone.
    — Kai Bird, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of implement
Verb
  • Operators define intent, establish boundaries and supervise autonomous action across high-stakes systems.
    — Kannan Kothandaraman, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Plaintiff David Figueroa’s lawsuit said he was hired as a retail sales consultant on February 2, 2026, and was supervised by store manager Sully Fuentes Peterson.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • Eco effort The property has invested in a resort-wide recycling program, providing recycling bins at various touch points and committing to all cups, service ware, and to-go containers being made from recycled materials.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Ahead of Tuesday’s practice, head coach Jeff Hafley eased concerns surrounding Jackson, describing the injury as day-to-day while noting the absence provides an opportunity to evaluate the team’s depth along the offensive line.
    — Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of provide
Verb
  • The smarter clients will hire somebody to oversee the structure but this is the exception and not the norm.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Rahman, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Hasina’s archrival, came to power with a landslide victory in February under a vote overseen by Yunus’ interim administration.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of oversee

Phrases Containing administer

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administer
administered
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Cite this Entry

“Administer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/administer. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of administer for Spanish Speakers

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