distribute

American  

[dih-strib-yoot] / dɪˈstrɪb jut /

verb (used with object)

• distributes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• distributed,
  past participle,  past
• distributing
  present participle

1. to divide and give out in shares; deal out; allot.

   Synonyms:

   apportion, mete, assign

2. to disperse through a space or over an area; spread; scatter.

3. to promote, sell, and ship or deliver (an item or line of merchandise) to individual customers, especially in a specified region or area.

4. to pass out or deliver (mail, newspapers, etc.) to intended recipients.

5. to divide into distinct phases.

   The process was distributed into three stages.

6. to divide into classes.

   These plants are distributed into 22 classes.

   Synonyms:

   categorize, arrange, sort, classify

7. Logic. to employ (a term) in a proposition so as to refer to all individuals denoted by the term.

8. Physical Chemistry. to dissolve uniformly in a solvent consisting of layers of immiscible or partially miscible substances.

9. Printing.

   1. to roll out (ink) on the table to attain the proper consistency.

   2. to return (type) to the proper place after printing.

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distribute British  

/ dɪˈstrɪbjuːt /

verb

1. to give out in shares; dispense

2. to hand out or deliver

   to distribute handbills

3. (often passive) to spread throughout a space or area

   gulls are distributed along the west coast

4. (often passive) to divide into classes or categories; classify

   these books are distributed in four main categories

5. printing to return (used type) to the correct positions in the type case

6. logic to incorporate in a distributed term of a categorial proposition

7. maths logic to expand an expression containing two operators in such a way that the precedence of the operators is changed; for example, distributing multiplication over addition in a ( b + c ) yields ab + ac

8. obsolete to dispense (justice)

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Synonym Usage

Distribute, dispense apply to giving out something. Distribute implies apportioned, individualized giving, especially of something that is definite or limited in amount or number: The prizes were distributed among ten winners. Dispense formerly implied indiscriminate, general, and liberal giving, especially of something that was more or less indefinite or unmeasured in amount: to dispense largesse. It now applies chiefly to giving according to need or deserts, from an organized and official source: to dispense medicines and food to the victims.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• predistribute
  verb (used with object)
• distributable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• distributing
  present
• distributed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• distribute
  simple
• distributes
  simple
• have distributed
  perfect
• has distributed
  perfect
• am distributing
  progressive
• are distributing
  progressive
• is distributing
  progressive
• have been distributing
  perfect progressive
• has been distributing
  perfect progressive

Past

• distributed
  simple
• had distributed
  perfect
• was distributing
  progressive
• were distributing
  progressive
• had been distributing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will distribute
  simple
• will have distributed
  perfect
• will be distributing
  progressive
• will have been distributing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of distribute

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin distribūtus, past participle of distribuere “to divide up”; see dis- ¹, tribute

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Explanation

To distribute is to disperse widely, hand out, or spread around. While you're still snoozing, the paper boy is busy distributing the newspaper all over the neighborhood. This verb was first recorded in the early 15th century and has its roots in the Latin distributus, meaning “to divide.” Think of dividing up the last cookies in the cookie jar and passing them out to all your friends. Distribute can also mean to space out or arrange in a particular order — you'd want to distribute the chairs in even lines across the floor when setting up for a concert, for example.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

distribute distributes distributed distributing

But later an organiser said the decision to distribute free tickets was still under review and had not been approved.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Its $9.5 million “power and energy” proposal promised cutting-edge research on how to distribute the limited power on board a ship between multiple energy-intense systems, like radars, lasers and rail guns.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

District Judge Jennifer Rochon in New York issued a four-page order late Sunday that barred the administration from using government funds to distribute the ads.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Samsung averted a strike in South Korea earlier this year by agreeing to a deal to distribute bonuses equivalent to 10.5 percent of operating profit to its semiconductor employees.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

I helped distribute the groceries to the proper households, using the new red wagon.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Rende's company in North Jackson, Ohio, makes and distributes aluminum building products used in fixtures like fences.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

But he is also outstanding with the ball because he distributes it quickly and always chooses the right route.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

A special-needs trust or spendthrift trust distributes funds based on need.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

It also distributes tens of thousands of free tickets to nonprofit organizations through a program called Community Concert Connections.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

Lacey distributes one piece of wintergreen gum to each of us, but it’s cold comfort.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

“Today, the world is moving from a century-old model of centralized power to a new architecture that includes firm, distributed onsite generation. Bloom is leading that transformation,” Chief Executive Officer KR Sridhar said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Much of the food, including fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products, is distributed to charities and community groups.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

Microbial diversity refers to the variety of microorganisms present and how they are distributed within a community.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

“Growth across the globe is distributed unevenly,” said German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

He tabulated the chest breadth and height of 5,738 soldiers to demonstrate that chest size and height were distributed along smooth, continuous, bell-shaped curves.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

It is typically known for distributing re-releases, concert films and live events.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

On Friday, photographs were released of the Pope celebrating Mass and distributing communion in hospital for staff.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

The pressure would fall first on model developers and the companies financing and distributing their products.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

International licensing agreements make the process of marketing and distributing drugs easier and can help Chinese firms conduct clinical trials outside of China, which typically leads to smoother FDA approval.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The brothers begin distributing them among the congregants like so many neckties.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

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Related Words

• administer
• allot
• apportion
• assign
• circulate
• disburse
• dispense
• disseminate
• donate
• give
• give away
• hand out
• issue
• present
• scatter
• share

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