distribute
Americanverb (used with object)
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distributes,
present (3rd person singular)
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distributed,
past participle, past
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distributing
present participle
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to divide and give out in shares; deal out; allot.
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to disperse through a space or over an area; spread; scatter.
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to promote, sell, and ship or deliver (an item or line of merchandise) to individual customers, especially in a specified region or area.
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to pass out or deliver (mail, newspapers, etc.) to intended recipients.
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to divide into distinct phases.
The process was distributed into three stages.
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to divide into classes.
These plants are distributed into 22 classes.
- Synonyms:
- categorize, arrange, sort, classify
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Logic. to employ (a term) in a proposition so as to refer to all individuals denoted by the term.
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Physical Chemistry. to dissolve uniformly in a solvent consisting of layers of immiscible or partially miscible substances.
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Printing.
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to roll out (ink) on the table to attain the proper consistency.
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to return (type) to the proper place after printing.
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verb
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to give out in shares; dispense
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to hand out or deliver
to distribute handbills
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(often passive) to spread throughout a space or area
gulls are distributed along the west coast
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(often passive) to divide into classes or categories; classify
these books are distributed in four main categories
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printing to return (used type) to the correct positions in the type case
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logic to incorporate in a distributed term of a categorial proposition
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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
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obsolete to dispense (justice)
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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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distributesimple
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distributessimple
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have distributedperfect
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has distributedperfect
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am distributingprogressive
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are distributingprogressive
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is distributingprogressive
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have been distributingperfect progressive
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has been distributingperfect progressive
Past
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distributedsimple
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had distributedperfect
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was distributingprogressive
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were distributingprogressive
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had been distributingperfect progressive
Future
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing distribute
Charlotte's Web
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Workshop 1, Part 1
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 6
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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:
The iShares Core High Dividend ETF distributes dividends monthly, while the other two funds distribute quarterly.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Breaking that cycle requires a deliberate effort to develop and distribute capability throughout the business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Despite its remarkable length and extensive reach, the neuron does not distribute norepinephrine throughout the entire brain.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
That may include user-run blogs that could be used to spread computer viruses, spam people or distribute malicious content.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
Papa, wearing a long, gray robe like the rest of the oblates, helped distribute ash every year.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The iShares Core High Dividend ETF distributes dividends monthly, while the other two funds distribute quarterly.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Rende's company in North Jackson, Ohio, makes and distributes aluminum building products used in fixtures like fences.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
To juice demand, the company distributes free bats, as well as other gear, to select travel players—known as the Rawlings Army and the Easton Army—as young as 9.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 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
I think of Santa Thaya again as he distributes the presents.
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
California’s Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project offers point-of-sale discounts on zero-emission trucks and buses and has distributed $1 billion so far.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Consequently, the Artemis I detectors recorded radiation doses that were distributed almost uniformly throughout the mannequins, unlike the uneven patterns observed in the earlier space station experiment.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
Spokesman Kurnia Ramadhana said more than 72,000 people had been deployed in firefighting operations, as well as over 2,100 doctors and health workers, and 5.3 million masks had been distributed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Selected international journalists – one from each nation in the top 50 of the Fifa world rankings - rank their top 10 candidates, with points distributed on a descending scale.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
About 90 percent of the tablets in the earliest known Sumerian archives, from the city of Uruk, are clerical records of goods paid in, workers given rations, and agricultural products distributed.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
In a policy released Wednesday, Kennedy said his department would no longer stop compounding pharmacies from distributing a handful of widely used peptides.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
It is typically known for distributing re-releases, concert films and live events.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
It added that it may explore donating to nonprofits or directly distributing funds to “specific populations.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
The city-state has also begun distributing N95 masks to eligible residents when pollution reaches very unhealthy levels.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
I was answering phones, photocopying, distributing newsletters on the street.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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