distributor
Americannoun
-
a person or thing that distributes.
-
Commerce.
-
a person, firm, etc., engaged in the general distribution or marketing of some article or class of goods.
-
a wholesaler who has exclusive rights to market, within a given territory, the goods of a manufacturer or company.
-
-
Automotive, Machinery. a device in a multicylinder engine that distributes the igniting voltage to the spark plugs in a definite sequence.
-
Printing.
-
(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.
-
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.
-
noun
-
a person or thing that distributes
-
a wholesaler or middleman engaged in the distribution of a category of goods, esp to retailers in a specific area
-
the device in a petrol engine that distributes the high-tension voltage to the sparking plugs in the sequence of the firing order
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of distributor
From the Late Latin word distribūtor, dating back to 1520–30. See distribute, -tor
Explanation
It's great that you've got something amazing to sell, but without a distributor you're not going to be able to get it to the people who want to buy it. To distribute it, you need a distributor. A dealer at a card table is as much a distributor as is the Coca-Cola Bottling Company. Both of them share the job of getting their product into the hands of the folks who want it. Whether you're handing out a dozen flyers on the street or shipping a million books to shoppers nationwide, you're a distributor. In the world of electrical engineering, a distributor is a device that sends an electrical current from one contact to another. It distributes the electricity, just like that dealer dealing cards.
Vocabulary lists containing distributor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Miramax led the production and financing of the film, while Paramount Pictures was the distributor.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
The trillion-dollar asset manager has since listed medical-supplies distributor Medline and Blackstone Digital Infrastructure Trust, which holds data center assets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
England, most recently the head of supply chain at building-products distributor QXO, will start the job at the end of this month.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
A popular U.S. food distributor has long promised premium, Italian tomatoes in its products.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Stan then arranged for me to get three Maxply rackets from a Wilson distributor in downtown Johannesburg.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
