redistribution
Americannoun
-
redistributions
plural
-
a distribution performed again or anew.
-
Economics. the theory, policy, or practice of lessening or reducing inequalities in income through such measures as progressive income taxation and antipoverty programs.
noun
-
the act or instance of distributing or the state or manner of being distributed again
-
a periodic revision of the number of seats in the House of Commons, made to reflect changes in population
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of redistribution
First recorded in 1830–40; re- + distribution
Explanation
If your boss gives all your coworkers a hundred dollars, but only gives you a nickel, you might ask for a redistribution — another try at dividing things up, and hopefully with more cash for you this time. Here, the suffix re- means “once more,” and the Latin root of distribute translates to “divide up.” To divide up something one more time, that’s redistribution. Often redistribution refers to money being spread out more evenly so everyone can have the same amount. In a society where the poor keep getting poorer, and the rich have more money than ever, a plan for the redistribution of wealth would be a welcome idea. Unless you’re rich.
Vocabulary lists containing redistribution
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:
Growing power and land constraints in Tokyo are encouraging a redistribution of future development within Japan toward locations better positioned to support AI infrastructure and rising electricity demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Because it played a more direct role in the original electronic excitation, its signal reflected both the redistribution of electrons and the molecule's changing structure.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
What is needed is a social dividend to all humanity, not as redistribution but as restitution.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
The EU has long relied upon subsidies and redistribution to assuage the impact from disruptions caused by reducing internal trade barriers, as well as to help integrate poorer nations as the bloc has expanded east.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
On numerous occasions as she passed on errands, Cora overheard him lobby for the redistribution of her parcel.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Such major redistributions of mass can alter planetary orbits while also profoundly influencing how a star shines, adding or siphoning away gas to change the nature and timing of its subsequent stellar evolution.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 5, 2023
The idea of inflation, he continued, evokes “arbitrary injustice, arbitrary redistributions and social bitterness,” and “memories of social situations in which morale and a sense of cooperation were lost.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 6, 2021
Meaningful change requires meaningful action, and tangible redistributions of wealth and power.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2021
Most states also exempt gasoline from sales tax, meaning that even state gas-tax revenues are effectively redistributions from sales tax collections.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2021
As the number of marines continued to drop, the Division of Plans and Policies was forced to justify the existence of black units by a series of reorganizations and redistributions.
From Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965 by Morris J. MacGregor
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.
