redistribute
Americanverb (used with object)
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to distribute again or anew.
The corporation will redistribute its share of the profits to its stockholders.
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to alter the distribution of; apportion differently.
Let's redistribute the work more fairly.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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redistributesimple
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redistributessimple
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have redistributedperfect
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has redistributedperfect
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am redistributingprogressive
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are redistributingprogressive
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is redistributingprogressive
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have been redistributingperfect progressive
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has been redistributingperfect progressive
Past
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redistributedsimple
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had redistributedperfect
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was redistributingprogressive
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were redistributingprogressive
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had been redistributingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of redistribute
First recorded in 1605–15; re- + distribute
Explanation
Redistribute is a verb that means to distribute something again. If one poker player gets too many cards and another gets too few, the dealer should probably shuffle again and redistribute the cards evenly. You may recall the story of Robin Hood, who took it upon himself to "redistribute the wealth" by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Well, in conversations about contemporary economics the word redistribute is often used to complain about taxes, which are often higher for people who have more money.
Vocabulary lists containing redistribute
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He argues this is necessary to tackle inequality and redistribute wealth from Peru's rich mineral, gold and copper reserves more equally and has enjoyed subsequent support in more rural areas.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Now, it is leveraging the potent cocktail of an American World Cup to pack its war chest with money it plans to redistribute to FIFA’s 211 member nations around the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
The agency also said it would redistribute $18 million in Drinking Water State Revolving Fund money that had previously been made available to states to address lead, but was never used.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
This movement into lower soil layers is linked not only to the decomposition of organic material but also to biological activity, such as organisms that help break down leaves and redistribute particles.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 23, 2026
Like the credit default swap, the CDO had been invented to redistribute the risk of corporate and government bond defaults and was now being rejiggered to disguise the risk of subprime mortgage loans.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Another potential catalyst: SK Hynix redistributes 10% of its operating profit in employee bonuses—a practice Samsung is also beginning to adopt.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
Squeezing redistributes this uncertainty by making one property more precise while increasing uncertainty in the other.
From Science Daily ● May 1, 2026
The monthly Warm and Welcome Wednesday Cafe in Highworth, Wiltshire, has been set up by the volunteers behind Highworth Community Larder, which redistributes food that would otherwise have been thrown away.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2025
“There is complexity here. And this is because each time you have an earthquake, it redistributes the stress on the fault, which is going to influence the next earthquake,” Avouac said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2025
Its shape changes utterly as the weight redistributes.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
However, Adam, from the IFS, argues that whether or not money would be redistributed from London and the South East depends on whether the government changes the central grants it gives to local authorities.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Petno helped put an end to its stand-alone mergers and acquisitions department and redistributed that team across the bank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Companies, particularly in the arms sector, will "within a year have enormous sums of money at their disposal that will be redistributed," he said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
Capital is not rushing back — it is being redistributed.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 3, 2026
The chief’s hut looked like any other hut, there were no bureaucrats or public works, the chief redistributed most goods he received back to the commoners, and land was controlled by the community.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
I’m worried I may not be diversified enough and may fare better selling and redistributing into less risky index funds.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
Comments from a senior South Korean official floating the idea of redistributing profits from the AI windfall to citizens weighed on Korean stocks, tapping the brakes on what has been a breakneck run-up this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
Holocaust Memorial Museum describes the program as a coordinated effort to strip communities of cultural identity while redistributing art through state and black-market channels.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
Among older adults, simply redistributing TV time to other daily activities did not significantly change depression rates.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 12, 2026
“Save them for the band’s fundraising effort and find that young one selling those beaded key rings. We’ll call it what it is tonight: redistributing the wealth.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
