distributor

American  

[dih-strib-yuh-ter] / dɪˈstrɪb yə tər /

Or distributer

noun

1. a person or thing that distributes.

2. Commerce.

   1. a person, firm, etc., engaged in the general distribution or marketing of some article or class of goods.

   2. a wholesaler who has exclusive rights to market, within a given territory, the goods of a manufacturer or company.

3. Automotive, Machinery. a device in a multicylinder engine that distributes the igniting voltage to the spark plugs in a definite sequence.

4. Printing.

   1. (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.

   2. 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.

---

distributor British  

/ dɪˈstrɪbjʊtə /

noun

1. a person or thing that distributes

2. a wholesaler or middleman engaged in the distribution of a category of goods, esp to retailers in a specific area

3. 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

• subdistributor noun
• underdistributor noun

Etymology

Origin of distributor

From the Late Latin word distribūtor, dating back to 1520–30. See distribute, -tor

Example Sentences

Legacy entertainment conglomerates in particular are increasingly pressured to merge to combine their libraries to compete with tech-native platforms, which could create a future with fewer distinct distributors, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal

AI has created insatiable demand for power, and energy producers and distributors are racing to respond.

From Barron's

The 6-foot-3 Reed can do everything a point guard is expected to do — dribble, make shots from anywhere on the court, be a distributor when needed.

From Los Angeles Times

The U.S. distributor of Corona and Modelo beers is set to report fiscal third-quarter earnings on Wednesday after the market closes.

From Barron's

Lotus spent roughly 15 years trying to break into India’s fragmented retail market through a distributor, Boone said, but sales in the country never grew past a couple million euros.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dealer
• trader