distribution

[ dis-truh-byoo-shuhn ]

noun

1. an act or instance of distributing.
2. the state or manner of being distributed.
3. arrangement; classification.
4. something that is distributed.
5. the frequency of occurrence or the natural geographic range or place where any item or category of items occurs:

   What is the distribution of coniferous forests in the world?

6. placement, location, arrangement, or disposition:

   The distribution of our troops is a military secret.

7. apportionment:

   The court decided the distribution of the property among the heirs.

8. the delivery or giving out of an item or items to the intended recipients, as mail or newspapers.
9. the total number of an item delivered, sold, or given out:

   The distribution of our school paper is now 800.

10. the marketing, transporting, merchandising, and selling of any item.
11. (in bridge and other card games) the way in which the suits of a deck of cards are, or one specific suit is, divided or apportioned in one player's hand or among the hands of all the players:

    My distribution was six spades, four hearts, two clubs, and a singleton diamond.

12. Economics.
    1. the division of the aggregate income of any society among its members, or among the factors of production.
    2. the system of dispersing goods throughout a community.
13. Statistics. a set of values or measurements of a set of elements, each measurement being associated with an element.
14. Mathematics. a generalized function used especially in solving differential equations.

distribution

/ ˌdɪstrɪˈbjuːʃən /

noun

1. the act of distributing or the state or manner of being distributed
2. a thing or portion distributed
3. arrangement or location
4. commerce the process of physically satisfying the demand for goods and services
5. economics the division of the total income of a community among its members, esp between labour incomes (wages and salaries) and property incomes (rents, interest, and dividends)
6. statistics the set of possible values of a random variable, or points in a sample space, considered in terms of new theoretical or observed frequency

   a normal distribution

7. law the apportioning of the estate of a deceased intestate among the persons entitled to share in it
8. law the lawful division of the assets of a bankrupt among his creditors
9. finance
   1. the division of part of a company's profit as a dividend to its shareholders
   2. the amount paid by dividend in a particular distribution
10. engineering the way in which the fuel-air mixture is supplied to each cylinder of a multicylinder internal-combustion engine

distribution

1. The process of marketing and merchandising goods . Also, the way in which wealth or goods or services are allotted, as in the distribution of wealth.

Derived Forms

• ˌdistriˈbutional, adjective

Other Words From

• distri·bution·al adjective
• misdis·tri·bution noun
• nondis·tri·bution noun
• nondis·tri·bution·al adjective
• predis·tri·bution noun
• prodis·tri·bution adjective
• super·distri·bution noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of distribution¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin distribūtiōn-, stem of distribūtiō “division”; equivalent to distribute + -ion

Example Sentences

Just like the change in playoff format flattened out the championship odds across the league, so too did all of 2020’s peculiarities conspire to flatten out the distribution of Doyle numbers.

From FiveThirtyEight

Covaxx’s technology, she says, would make distribution far easier.

From Fortune

While we await the wide distribution of a vaccine, CEOs should only reopen if an effective treatment becomes broadly available.

From Fortune

Liu suggested, however, that widespread distribution of the vaccine may not be necessary in China given that the country has largely stopped the spread of the disease.

From Fortune

They are increasingly first-generation, nonwhite, and motivated to solve their communities’ problems by addressing the unequal distribution of environmental costs and benefits.

From Fortune

He would like to set up an independent film distribution company that targets consumers directly.

From The Daily Beast

But Casa Bruja remains the only independent brewer in Panama with a bottling and distribution plan.

From The Daily Beast

In the 20th century, interstate highways provided the distribution networks for big-box retailers like Walmart.

From The Daily Beast

Despite Western efforts, distribution of ISIS propaganda is as strong as it has ever been.

From The Daily Beast

He shifts the lens from overall wealth (how big is the pie) to distribution (how big are the pieces).

From The Daily Beast

Our existing poverty is purely a problem in the direction and distribution of human effort.

From Project Gutenberg

Thereupon the generals hastened round the town to procure funds, and appeased the Visayos with a distribution of 1,800 pesos.

From Project Gutenberg

The distribution of the Portuguese force was made wholly on the coast, while the land side was left totally unguarded.

From Project Gutenberg

Barter was common, and there must have been facilities for the distribution of those goods which had their origin in Gaul.

From Project Gutenberg

Everywhere man is earnestly and sternly demanding an equitable distribution of the productions of nature and art.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• circulation
• delivery
• disposal
• dissemination
• handling
• marketing
• sharing
• trading
• transport
• transportation