distribution

[ dis-truh-byoo-shuhn ]

/ ˌdɪs trəˈbyu ʃən /

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See synonyms for distribution on Thesaurus.com

noun

an act or instance of distributing.

the state or manner of being distributed.

arrangement; classification.

something that is distributed.

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?

placement, location, arrangement, or disposition: The distribution of our troops is a military secret.

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

the delivery or giving out of an item or items to the intended recipients, as mail or newspapers.

the total number of an item delivered, sold, or given out: The distribution of our school paper is now 800.

the marketing, transporting, merchandising, and selling of any item.

(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.

Economics.

the division of the aggregate income of any society among its members, or among the factors of production.
the system of dispersing goods throughout a community.

Statistics. a set of values or measurements of a set of elements, each measurement being associated with an element.

Mathematics. a generalized function used especially in solving differential equations.

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Origin of distribution

1375–1425; late Middle English (<Anglo-French ) <Latin distribūtiōn- (stem of distribūtiō). See distribute, -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM distribution

dis·tri·bu·tion·al, adjectivemis·dis·tri·bu·tion, nounnon·dis·tri·bu·tion, nounnon·dis·tri·bu·tion·al, adjective

pre·dis·tri·bu·tion, nounpro·dis·tri·bu·tion, adjectivesu·per·dis·tri·bu·tion, noun

Words nearby distribution

distributed logic, distributed practice, distributed systems, distributed term, distributee, distribution, distribution channel, distribution curve, distribution function, distributism, distributive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use distribution in a sentence

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.
Separating MLB’s Buyers From Sellers At The Weirdest Trade Deadline Ever|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|August 28, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Covaxx’s technology, she says, would make distribution far easier.
Why Covaxx thinks it has a COVID-19 vaccine game changer on its hands|Sy Mukherjee|August 27, 2020|Fortune
While we await the wide distribution of a vaccine, CEOs should only reopen if an effective treatment becomes broadly available.
I’m a physician and a CEO. Why I won’t bring my employees back to the office before Labor Day 2021|matthewheimer|August 26, 2020|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.
A Chinese company says its vaccine will be ready by December—but it won’t be cheap|Grady McGregor|August 22, 2020|Fortune

They are increasingly first-generation, nonwhite, and motivated to solve their communities’ problems by addressing the unequal distribution of environmental costs and benefits.
Generation Z is ‘traumatized’ by climate change—and they’re the key to fighting it|matthewheimer|August 19, 2020|Fortune
He would like to set up an independent film distribution company that targets consumers directly.
William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty|Tim Teeman|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Casa Bruja remains the only independent brewer in Panama with a bottling and distribution plan.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the 20th century, interstate highways provided the distribution networks for big-box retailers like Walmart.
Electricity Superhighway||October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Despite Western efforts, distribution of ISIS propaganda is as strong as it has ever been.
ISIS Is Winning the Online Jihad Against the West|Ali Fisher, Nico Prucha|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He shifts the lens from overall wealth (how big is the pie) to distribution (how big are the pieces).
How to Think About Economic Inequality After Thomas Piketty|Jedediah Purdy|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our existing poverty is purely a problem in the direction and distribution of human effort.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
Thereupon the generals hastened round the town to procure funds, and appeased the Visayos with a distribution of 1,800 pesos.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
The distribution of the Portuguese force was made wholly on the coast, while the land side was left totally unguarded.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
Barter was common, and there must have been facilities for the distribution of those goods which had their origin in Gaul.
The Towns of Roman Britain|James Oliver Bevan
Everywhere man is earnestly and sternly demanding an equitable distribution of the productions of nature and art.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris

British Dictionary definitions for distribution

distribution

/ (ˌdɪstrɪˈbjuːʃən) /

noun

the act of distributing or the state or manner of being distributed

a thing or portion distributed

arrangement or location

commerce the process of physically satisfying the demand for goods and services

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)

statistics the set of possible values of a random variable, or points in a sample space, considered in terms of new theoretical or observed frequencya normal distribution

law the apportioning of the estate of a deceased intestate among the persons entitled to share in it

law the lawful division of the assets of a bankrupt among his creditors

finance

the division of part of a company's profit as a dividend to its shareholders
the amount paid by dividend in a particular distribution

engineering the way in which the fuel-air mixture is supplied to each cylinder of a multicylinder internal-combustion engine

Derived forms of distribution

distributional, adjective

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

Cultural definitions for distribution

distribution

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.

distribution

Origin of distribution

OTHER WORDS FROM distribution

Words nearby distribution

Words related to distribution

How to use distribution in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for distribution

Derived forms of distribution

Cultural definitions for distribution