distribute

[ dih-strib-yoot ]

/ dɪˈstrɪb yut /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR distribute ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), dis·trib·ut·ed, dis·trib·ut·ing.

to divide and give out in shares; deal out; allot.

to disperse through a space or over an area; spread; scatter.

to promote, sell, and ship or deliver (an item or line of merchandise) to individual customers, especially in a specified region or area.

to pass out or deliver (mail, newspapers, etc.) to intended recipients.

to divide into distinct phases: The process was distributed into three stages.

to divide into classes: These plants are distributed into 22 classes.

Logic. to employ (a term) in a proposition so as to refer to all individuals denoted by the term.

Physical Chemistry. to dissolve uniformly in a solvent consisting of layers of immiscible or partially miscible substances.

Printing.

to roll out (ink) on the table to attain the proper consistency.
to return (type) to the proper place after printing.

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orchard

body of land completely surrounded by water

group of cultivated fruit trees

long mournful cry

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Origin of distribute

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin distribūtus, past participle of distribuere to divide up. See dis-¹, tribute

SYNONYMS FOR distribute

1 assign, mete, apportion.

6 dispose, sort, arrange, categorize.

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synonym study for distribute

1. 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 largess. 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 WORDS FROM distribute

dis·trib·ut·a·ble, adjectivepre·dis·trib·ute, verb (used with object), pre·dis·trib·ut·ed, pre·dis·trib·ut·ing.

Words nearby distribute

distress signal, distressed, distressed area, distressful, distributary, distribute, distributed, distributed array processor, distributed data processing, distributed logic, distributed practice

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for distributing

And in many cases al-Shabab insisted on distributing the aid, keeping much of it for itself, according to ODI.
U.S. Humanitarian Aid Going to ISIS|Jamie Dettmer|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Africans are on the front lines of humanitarian efforts, distributing life-saving aid in dangerous environments.
Why the US-Africa Summit Was Important and Why It Wasn't Enough|John Prendergast|August 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sewage pipes burst on the 7th floor of the building, distributing a strong, rotten smell that seemed to match the mood.
The Rot Among the Rebels in Ukraine|Anna Nemtsova|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The filmmakers, on their part, have accused Bergé of distributing letters to parties associated with the film to try to stop it.
Unauthorized ‘Saint Laurent’ Biopic: Quel Scandale!|Liza Foreman|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He has spent the past three years working on Real Life, his first feature film which Paramount is distributing.
The Stacks: The Inimitable Albert Brooks Caught at the Dawn of His Movie Career|Paul Slansky|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And they go about like theatrical managers, distributing parts to each other.
Plays by August Strindberg, Third Series|August Strindberg
General Cox said that distributing offices occupied "the larger part of the time of the President and all his Cabinet."
The Boss and the Machine|Samuel P. Orth
I never yet heard of any library that was buying books and distributing them.
Papers and Proceedings of the Twenty-Third General Meeting of the American Library Association|Various
It is an important collecting and distributing point for lake-freights, and the chief centre of commerce with Canada.
Commercial Geography|Jacques W. Redway
The problem of distributing the apple fairly is then a complex in which at least the following processes enter.
Creative Intelligence|John Dewey, Addison W. Moore, Harold Chapman Brown, George H. Mead, Boyd H. Bode, Henry Waldgrave, Stuart James, Hayden Tufts, Horace M. Kallen

British Dictionary definitions for distributing

distribute

/ (dɪˈstrɪbjuːt) /

verb (tr)

to give out in shares; dispense

to hand out or deliverto distribute handbills

(often passive) to spread throughout a space or areagulls are distributed along the west coast

(often passive) to divide into classes or categories; classifythese books are distributed in four main categories

printing to return (used type) to the correct positions in the type case

logic to incorporate in a distributed term of a categorial proposition

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

obsolete to dispense (justice)

Derived forms of distribute

distributable, adjective

Word Origin for distribute

C15: from Latin distribuere from dis- 1 + tribuere to give

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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WORD OF THE DAY

distribute

verb (used with object), dis·trib·ut·ed, dis·trib·ut·ing.

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TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT 2ND-3RD GRADE VOCAB FROM BOOKS!

Origin of distribute

SYNONYMS FOR distribute

synonym study for distribute

OTHER WORDS FROM distribute

Words nearby distribute

Example sentences from the Web for distributing

British Dictionary definitions for distributing

verb (tr)

Derived forms of distribute

Word Origin for distribute

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

distribute

verb (used with object), dis·trib·ut·ed, dis·trib·ut·ing.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT 2ND-3RD GRADE VOCAB FROM BOOKS!

Origin of distribute

SYNONYMS FOR distribute

synonym study for distribute

OTHER WORDS FROM distribute

Words nearby distribute

Words related to distributing

Example sentences from the Web for distributing

British Dictionary definitions for distributing

verb (tr)

Derived forms of distribute

Word Origin for distribute