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.

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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

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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

Sales to North American distributors remained strong, Gildan said, with continued growth in national accounts, gaining market share in key growth categories.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We are slowly picking up distributors and growing the brand," says Hartwig.

From BBC

"We had already done the trademark registrations, the groundwork, discussions with distributors," he said.

From BBC

U.S. spirits net sales dropped 9.3% as the company said distributors moderated orders “in response to the softer consumer environment.”

From Barron's

Depletions, which measures sales by distributors to retailers and is seen as an indicator of demand, fell 6%.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• dealer
• trader