distributed

adjective

dis·​trib·​ut·​ed di-ˈstri-byü-təd 

 also  -byə-,

 British also  ˈdi-stri-ˌbyü-

1

: characterized by a statistical distribution of a particular kind

a normally distributed random variable

2

computing : having at least some of the processing done by the individual workstations and having information shared by and often stored at the workstations

a distributed network

… makes it possible to take massive tasks and spread them out over a large number of personal computers—a practice called distributed computing.

—J. Bonasia

Examples of distributed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And much of the recent methane rise has come not from individual large emitters, but from more distributed sources, including tropical wetlands, which could be emitting more methane in response to warming. —Bypaul Voosen, science.org, 3 Feb. 2023

But many companies are still struggling with distributed work, where employees collaborate from both in-office and remote environments. —Mark Cruth, Quartz, 30 Jan. 2023

Since research is becoming more distributed and geographically diverse, companies that have multinational teams can use Benchling to work together. —John Cumbers, Forbes, 23 June 2021

Neither will waiting for distributed networks of individuals to reclaim control of technology from top-down, centralized systems. —Peter Schwartz, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing distributed

• distributed denial of service
• evenly distributed
• widely distributed