Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Language: Latin
Origin: distribuere 'to give out', from tribuere 'to give to a particular person'

distribute

 verb
     
Related topics: Trade
dis‧trib‧ute W3 [transitive]
1 to share things among a group of people, especially in a planned way [= give out]
distribute something among/to somebody
Clothes and blankets have been distributed among the refugees.
a man distributing leaflets to passers-by
2BBT to supply goods to shops and companies so that they can sell them:
Milk is distributed to the local shops by Herald's Dairies.
3 to spread something over a large area:
Make sure the weight of the load is evenly distributed.
4

be distributed

to exist in different parts of an area or group
be widely/evenly distributed
This species of dolphin is widely distributed throughout the world.
The population is distributed in a very uneven pattern.
WORD FOCUS: give WORD FOCUS: give
put something in someone's hand: hand, pass
officially give something to someone: award, present, grant, confer, allocate
give something to people in a group: hand out, pass around, distribute
give to a charity: donate
give something to people after you die: leave, pass on, bequeath

➔ See also give
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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