Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense distributes, present participle distributing, past tense, past participle distributed
1. verb
If you distribute things, you hand them or deliver them to a number of people.
Students shouted slogans and distributed leaflets. [VERB noun]
Thousands of soldiers are working to distribute food and blankets to the refugees. [VERB noun to noun]
In the move most of the furniture was left to the neighbours or distributed amongfriends. [beV-ed + among]
Synonyms: hand out, dispense, give out, dish out [informal] More Synonyms of distribute
2. verb
When a company distributes goods, it supplies them to the shops or businesses that sell them.
[business]
We didn't understand how difficult it was to distribute a national paper. [VERB noun]
3. verb
If you distribute things among the members of a group, you share them among those members.
After his election he distributed major offices among his friends and supporters. [V n + among]
[Also VERB noun]
4. verb
To distribute a substance over something means to scatter it over it.
[formal]
Distribute the topping evenly over the fruit. [V n + over]
5. See also distributed
More Synonyms of distribute
distribute in British English
(dɪˈstrɪbjuːt)
verb(transitive)
1.
to give out in shares; dispense
2.
to hand out or deliver
to distribute leaflets
3. (often passive)
to spread throughout a space or area
gulls are distributed along the west coast
4. (often passive)
to divide into classes or categories; classify
these books are distributed in four main categories
5. printing
to return (used type) to the correct positions in the type case
6. logic
to incorporate in a distributed term of a categorial proposition
7. mathematics, logic
to expand (an expression containing two operators) in such a way that the precedence of the operators is changed; for example, distributing multiplication over addition in a(b + c) yields ab + ac
8. obsolete
to dispense (justice)
Derived forms
distributable (disˈtributable)
adjective
Word origin
C15: from Latin distribuere from dis-1 + tribuere to give
distribute in American English
(dɪˈstrɪbjut; dɪˈstrɪbjʊt)
verb transitiveWord forms: disˈtributed or disˈtributing
1.
to divide and give out in shares; allot
2.
to scatter or spread out, as over a surface
3.
to divide and arrange according to a classification; classify
4.
to put (things) in various distinct places
5. Obsolete
to administer, as justice
6. Printing
to break up (set type) and put the letters back in the proper boxes
7. Law
to apportion (an intestate's property) to those entitled to it
8. Logic
to use (a term) in such a way as to refer to all members of its extension
SYNONYMY NOTE: distribute implies a dealing out of portions or a spreading about of units among a number ofrecipients [to distribute leaflets]; dispense suggests the careful measuring out of that which is distributed [to dispense drugs]; divide suggests separation of a whole into parts to be shared [an inheritance divided among five children]; dole1 implies a distributing of money, food, etc. in charity or in a sparing or niggardlymanner
Derived forms
distributable (disˈtributable)
adjective
Word origin
ME distributen < L distributus, pp. of distribuere, to distribute < dis-, apart + tribuere, to allot: see tribute
Examples of 'distribute' in a sentence
distribute
A consortium of technology and entertainment companies is pioneering a cloud-based approach to selling and distributing digital content.
Computing (2010)
Why not have food run by a national food service and distributed with rationing by queue?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It is when the press release is distributed that a company effectively" announces its earnings.
Mitchel Zacks AHEAD OF THE MARKET (2003)
They are also a relatively objective and equitable way of distributing valuable resources.
Tompkins, Jonathan Human Resource Management in Government (1995)
It imports and distributes food and nutritional supplements.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The group also distributes food and medicine to the poor.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The problem lies in the way it is distributed and the lack of flexibility in the system.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Ethiopia has been distributing food from its national reserves.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Information is distributed to different groups based on "need to know "criteria.
Christianity Today (2000)
It is yet another indication that the book industry is looking for new ways to distribute and sell books.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The company distributes workplace equipment such as napkins, plastic cutlery and the like.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The Internet is inherently a less expensive way to distribute a product or service.
Al Ries and Laura Ries THE 22 IMMUTABLE LAWS OF BRANDING (2002)
Ministers promised to come up with a way to distribute the 1 billion to alternative projects.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
A deed of variation allows beneficiaries to alter the way assets are distributed in a will.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Other nations have a programme of group one races distributed throughout their calendar, not just on one night.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
A local physics teacher and his wife have set up a committee to distribute food and organise sanitation.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
You will still be left with the 1,000 share capital in the company as this cannot be distributedin this way.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The company distributes 10,000 a week.
The Sun (2007)
Charity group Plan will distribute it.
The Sun (2009)
Personal representatives have the power to let and administer all the deceased's property until they decide to distribute or sell it.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The company is now distributing software with the browser choice screen and has offered to extend the compliance period for an additional 15 months.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Greek soldiers are already hard at work on other crisis-hit islands, distributing food packages to refugees.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
distribute
British English: distribute /dɪˈstrɪbjuːt/ VERB
If you distribute things, you hand them or deliver them to a number of people.
Soldiers are working to distribute food and blankets.
American English: distribute
Arabic: يُوَزِّعُ
Brazilian Portuguese: distribuir
Chinese: 分配
Croatian: distribuirati
Czech: roznést
Danish: distribuere
Dutch: distribueren
European Spanish: distribuir
Finnish: jakaa lehtiä ym.
French: distribuer
German: verteilen
Greek: διανέμω
Italian: distribuire
Japanese: 配る
Korean: 분배하다
Norwegian: fordele
Polish: rozprowadzić
European Portuguese: distribuir
Romanian: a distribui
Russian: распределять
Latin American Spanish: distribuir repartir
Swedish: sprida
Thai: แจกจ่าย
Turkish: dağıtmak
Ukrainian: розповсюджувати
Vietnamese: phân phối
Chinese translation of 'distribute'
distribute
(dɪsˈtrɪbjuːt)
vt
(= hand out)[food, leaflets]分发(發) (fēnfā)
(= share out)[resources, profits, work etc]分配 (fēnpèi)
(= supply)[goods] (to shops) 配送 (pèisòng)
1 (verb)
Definition
to hand out or deliver (leaflets, mail, etc.)
Students shouted slogans and distributed leaflets.
Synonyms
hand out
dispense
give out
dish out (informal)
disseminate
deal out
disburse
pass round
2 (verb)
Definition
to hand out or deliver (leaflets, mail, etc.)
to distribute a national newspaper
Synonyms
circulate
Public employees are circulating a petition calling for his reinstatement.
deliver
The pizza will be delivered in 20 minutes.
transmit
mosquitoes that transmit disease to humans
convey
Conveying a property from one owner to another calls for meticulous attention to detail.
3 (verb)
Definition
to share (something) among the members of a particular group
He began to distribute jobs among his friends.
Synonyms
share
the small income he has shared with his brother
give
deal
divide
Divide the soup among four bowls.
assign
Later in the year, she'll assign them research papers.
administer
The doctor came to watch the nurses administer the medications.
allocate
Tickets will be allocated to those who apply first.
dispose
He was preparing to dispose his effects about the room.
dispense
They had already dispensed £40,000 in grants.
allot
We were allotted half an hour to address the committee.
mete out
An examiner arrived to mete out justice.
dole out
apportion
They are even-handed in apportioning the blame.
measure out
4 (verb)
Break the exhibition up and distribute it around existing museums.
Synonyms
spread
Someone has been spreading rumours about us.
scatter
He began by scattering seed and putting in plants.
disperse
The rest of our equipment was now dispersed over the lake.
diffuse
Our aim is to diffuse new ideas obtained from elsewhere.
disseminate
The press plays a critical part in disseminating news and information.
strew
By the end, bodies were strewn all around the headquarters building.
5 (verb)
Synonyms
classify
Rocks can be classified according to their mode of origin.
group
The fact sheets are grouped into seven sections.
class
I would class my garden as being medium in size.
file
Papers are filed alphabetically.
arrange
He started to arrange the books in piles.
categorize
assort
Additional synonyms
in the sense of administer
The doctor came to watch the nurses administer the medications.
Synonyms
dispense,
give,
share,
provide,
apply,
distribute,
assign,
allocate,
allot,
dole out,
apportion,
deal out
in the sense of allocate
Definition
to assign to someone or for a particular purpose
Tickets will be allocated to those who apply first.
Synonyms
assign,
grant,
distribute,
designate,
set aside,
earmark,
give out,
consign,
allow,
budget,
allot,
mete,
share out,
apportion,
appropriate
in the sense of allot
Definition
to assign as a share or for a particular purpose
We were allotted half an hour to address the committee.