distribute
Americanverb (used with object)
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distributes,
present (3rd person singular)
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distributed,
past participle, past
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distributing
present participle
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to divide and give out in shares; deal out; allot.
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to disperse through a space or over an area; spread; scatter.
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to promote, sell, and ship or deliver (an item or line of merchandise) to individual customers, especially in a specified region or area.
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to pass out or deliver (mail, newspapers, etc.) to intended recipients.
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to divide into distinct phases.
The process was distributed into three stages.
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to divide into classes.
These plants are distributed into 22 classes.
- Synonyms:
- categorize, arrange, sort, classify
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Logic. to employ (a term) in a proposition so as to refer to all individuals denoted by the term.
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Physical Chemistry. to dissolve uniformly in a solvent consisting of layers of immiscible or partially miscible substances.
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Printing.
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to roll out (ink) on the table to attain the proper consistency.
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to return (type) to the proper place after printing.
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verb
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to give out in shares; dispense
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to hand out or deliver
to distribute handbills
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(often passive) to spread throughout a space or area
gulls are distributed along the west coast
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(often passive) to divide into classes or categories; classify
these books are distributed in four main categories
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printing to return (used type) to the correct positions in the type case
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logic to incorporate in a distributed term of a categorial proposition
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maths 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
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obsolete to dispense (justice)
Synonym Usage
Distribute, dispense apply to giving out something. Distribute implies apportioned, individualized giving, especially of something that is definite or limited in amount or number: The prizes were distributed among ten winners. Dispense formerly implied indiscriminate, general, and liberal giving, especially of something that was more or less indefinite or unmeasured in amount: to dispense largesse. It now applies chiefly to giving according to need or deserts, from an organized and official source: to dispense medicines and food to the victims.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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distributesimple
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distributessimple
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have distributedperfect
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has distributedperfect
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am distributingprogressive
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are distributingprogressive
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is distributingprogressive
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have been distributingperfect progressive
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has been distributingperfect progressive
Past
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distributedsimple
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had distributedperfect
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was distributingprogressive
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were distributingprogressive
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had been distributingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of distribute
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin distribūtus, past participle of distribuere “to divide up”; see dis- 1, tribute
Explanation
To distribute is to disperse widely, hand out, or spread around. While you're still snoozing, the paper boy is busy distributing the newspaper all over the neighborhood. This verb was first recorded in the early 15th century and has its roots in the Latin distributus, meaning “to divide.” Think of dividing up the last cookies in the cookie jar and passing them out to all your friends. Distribute can also mean to space out or arrange in a particular order — you'd want to distribute the chairs in even lines across the floor when setting up for a concert, for example.
Vocabulary lists containing distribute
Charlotte's Web
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Workshop 1, Part 1
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 6
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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.
See Examples For:
The museum was among 30 science institutions across the country taking part in a campaign organised by the government to distribute two million pairs of glasses for free.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Though Stuart suggests it’s still a “volume business” for producers, he believes it’s a win for the platforms that distribute these docs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
To help those who might struggle to pay, energy companies distribute the £150 Warm Home Discount to about six million households in the winter.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Investors must trust in the fund managers to distribute the shares—or cash—promptly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Helmuth persuaded Karl and Rudi to distribute the flyers.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
He also makes children’s toys that he distributes to any children on the block or that he encounters out and about.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Loper Bright distributes it across hundreds of judges—urban and rural, coastal and inland, appointed by presidents and Senates of both parties—deciding thousands of cases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
The stuntmen are presumably here because their parent company, Thrill Sports, also distributes Power Slap, Dana White’s passion project.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
The firm has similar restrictions for all IPO shares it distributes.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
She cracks another barrel open, takes out a handful of plantains, and distributes them among us.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
They were distributed to stores and retail consumers in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Mississippi.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Urchins usually retail somewhere between $15 and $20, but the coveted original version—the “Coike,” created by the Japanese company Hideup, and distributed in the U.S. by Spro Sports Professionals—can fetch hundreds on eBay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The recalled products were distributed to grocery stores in the following 26 states.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
This suggests that these reptiles were more widely distributed across the world during the Triassic than the fossil record indicated.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
Homer unfolded a moth-eaten quilt for them to sit on and distributed their portions on tin plates.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Luna Blanca, a Ceuta-based charity providing food and social assistance to vulnerable people, said it had been distributing between 3,500 and 4,000 meals a day since the influx began.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Even selling the book could prove dangerous in the South: Authorities in North Carolina jailed one missionary for distributing four copies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
It’s more probable that the financial-services company is looking for confirmation that she has died so they can begin administering her account and, if appropriate, distributing any assets to the rightful beneficiaries or heirs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
The theme park has made outreach into the neighborhood over the years in an attempt to assuage concerns, be it distributing fliers or attending community meetings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Corps members have the immediate task of distributing them.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
