distributor

American  

[dih-strib-yuh-ter] / dɪˈstrɪb yə tər /

Or distributer

noun

1. a person or thing that distributes.

2. Commerce.

   1. a person, firm, etc., engaged in the general distribution or marketing of some article or class of goods.

   2. a wholesaler who has exclusive rights to market, within a given territory, the goods of a manufacturer or company.

3. Automotive, Machinery. a device in a multicylinder engine that distributes the igniting voltage to the spark plugs in a definite sequence.

4. Printing.

   1. (in a press) one of the rollers for spreading ink on the table, rolling it to a proper consistency, and transferring it to rollers that ink the form or plate.

   2. Also called distributor bar.  (in a Linotype) a bar with keylike cuts along its length, for sorting matrices into their proper magazines after type has been cast.

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distributor British  

/ dɪˈstrɪbjʊtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that distributes

2. a wholesaler or middleman engaged in the distribution of a category of goods, esp to retailers in a specific area

3. the device in a petrol engine that distributes the high-tension voltage to the sparking plugs in the sequence of the firing order

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Other Word Forms

• subdistributor noun
• underdistributor noun

Etymology

Origin of distributor

From the Late Latin word distribūtor, dating back to 1520–30. See distribute, -tor

Example Sentences

Debut filmmaker Adrian Chiarella’s gay teenage horror film “Leviticus” sold to distributor Neon.

From The Wall Street Journal

In South Africa, the film was withdrawn from major theaters just before its release, with the distributor citing "the current climate."

From Barron's

“We’re supposed to be turning pots and pans into Spitfires, removing distributors, rationing tea. What use are precautions if no one will mind them?”

From Literature

Attempts by the BBC to get comment from Filmfinity, which describes itself as the leading film distributor in southern Africa, have so far been unsuccessful.

From BBC

In South Africa, the country's main cinema houses have pulled the documentary with the distributor citing "the current climate", without elaborating, local media reported.

From Barron's

Related Words

• dealer
• trader