distribution

[ dis-truh-byoo-shuhn ]

noun

1. an act or instance of distributing.
2. the state or manner of being distributed.
3. arrangement; classification.
4. something that is distributed.
5. the frequency of occurrence or the natural geographic range or place where any item or category of items occurs:

   What is the distribution of coniferous forests in the world?

6. placement, location, arrangement, or disposition:

   The distribution of our troops is a military secret.

7. apportionment:

   The court decided the distribution of the property among the heirs.

8. the delivery or giving out of an item or items to the intended recipients, as mail or newspapers.
9. the total number of an item delivered, sold, or given out:

   The distribution of our school paper is now 800.

10. the marketing, transporting, merchandising, and selling of any item.
11. (in bridge and other card games) the way in which the suits of a deck of cards are, or one specific suit is, divided or apportioned in one player's hand or among the hands of all the players:

    My distribution was six spades, four hearts, two clubs, and a singleton diamond.

12. Economics.
    1. the division of the aggregate income of any society among its members, or among the factors of production.
    2. the system of dispersing goods throughout a community.
13. Statistics. a set of values or measurements of a set of elements, each measurement being associated with an element.
14. Mathematics. a generalized function used especially in solving differential equations.

distribution

/ ˌdɪstrɪˈbjuːʃən /

noun

1. the act of distributing or the state or manner of being distributed
2. a thing or portion distributed
3. arrangement or location
4. commerce the process of physically satisfying the demand for goods and services
5. economics the division of the total income of a community among its members, esp between labour incomes (wages and salaries) and property incomes (rents, interest, and dividends)
6. statistics the set of possible values of a random variable, or points in a sample space, considered in terms of new theoretical or observed frequency

   a normal distribution

7. law the apportioning of the estate of a deceased intestate among the persons entitled to share in it
8. law the lawful division of the assets of a bankrupt among his creditors
9. finance
   1. the division of part of a company's profit as a dividend to its shareholders
   2. the amount paid by dividend in a particular distribution
10. engineering the way in which the fuel-air mixture is supplied to each cylinder of a multicylinder internal-combustion engine

distribution

1. The process of marketing and merchandising goods . Also, the way in which wealth or goods or services are allotted, as in the distribution of wealth.

Derived Forms

• ˌdistriˈbutional, adjective

Other Words From

• distri·bution·al adjective
• misdis·tri·bution noun
• nondis·tri·bution noun
• nondis·tri·bution·al adjective
• predis·tri·bution noun
• prodis·tri·bution adjective
• super·distri·bution noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of distribution¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin distribūtiōn-, stem of distribūtiō “division”; equivalent to distribute + -ion

Example Sentences

“We are a studio that, under Donna Langley, likes to take big swings when we see the opportunity,” said Jim Orr, head of domestic distribution at Universal Pictures.

From Los Angeles Times

Witnesses said iron barriers were erected and lorries trying to access the aid distribution point were fired at.

From BBC

This enabled them to identify a surprisingly sharp break in the energy distribution of the cosmic-ray electrons.

From Science Daily

Repairing municipal water systems leveled by a storm that washed away distribution lines, overwhelmed intakes, and inundated treatment plants is no easy feat.

From Salon

The Biden administration gets credit for building up a vaccine distribution network, for ramping up vaccine production, solving all the supply chain problems.

From Salon

Related Words

• circulation
• delivery
• disposal
• dissemination
• handling
• marketing
• sharing
• trading
• transport
• transportation