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Glite Dictionary
💉 To give officially 🏢 To manage
to administer

to administer

155 4.8
Give something like medicine or a test, often in a formal way
  • verb
  • /əˈdminɪstər/
  • Formal
: administrar
  • A priest has administered the last rites.
  • administer a test
  • administer a questionnaire
  • administer a survey

It's hey, we're having to administer medicine because the patient is sick.

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Examples

  • The nurse will administer the vaccine to all patients this afternoon.

  • You are going to have to administer the antitoxin in sequence.

    After Earth (2013)

  • It's hey, we're having to administer medicine because the patient is sick.

    The Rich Dad Channel

  • David, you should never have taken it upon yourself to administer medication to her.

    Scared Stiff (1987)

  • All the three tests will be administered on the Internet.

  • And the vaccine was administered in school buildings.

  • We should still administer anesthesia.

    Octaman (1971)

  • The same skill assessments were administered in both classes on day 10 of the unit.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The doctor administered antibiotics and he said he'd never in all of his years prior or since seen anything like it.

  • Teachers received training on how to administer the questionnaire to ensure consistency, accuracy, and confidentiality.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

to distribute
vsto administer
140 2.0

Give things to several people or places

applies in specific official acts rather than general spreading
to dispense
vsto administer
66 3.7

To give medicine or other things to people at a pharmacy

applies or gives in official contexts rather than casual distribution
to dish out
vsto administer
  • Informal
39 3.4

To give out things to several people, often food or advice

applies more formally and not usually in a casual or free manner
to dole out
vsto administer
37 4.0

To give small amounts of something to several people over time

applies more broadly and can be a single formal action
to dose
vsto administer
19 3.8

To give a set amount of medicine to a person or animal

applies things more broadly and often in an official formal way
to mete out
vsto administer
12 7.9

To give out punishment or justice to someone in a controlled way

applies things more generally, not only punishments, often formally

How Official

to prescribe
  • Specialized
217 3.4
to administer
  • Formal
155 4.8
to dispense
66 3.7
to provide
∞ 1.5
to give
∞ 1.0
to hand
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

administer infinitive
administered past
administered past participle
administering present participle
administers third person singular

Morphology

administer = minister (semi-transparent) = ad + minister

The verb is formed by prefixing ad- to minister (serve); the link to 'giving/applying' is related but the specific medical/official sense may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Administer comes from the Latin parts ad- 'to' and minister 'servant', so it originally meant 'to act as a servant'. So to administer medicine, a test, or criticism is like a servant carefully giving something out in an official way.