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

This could allow multiple installations to work together, giving grid operators and large energy users greater visibility into power conditions across distributed sites. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 July 2026

An energy operations leader may need to manage decisions across distributed assets, software systems and human teams. — John Healy, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Where traditional ad-buying stacks treated creators as inventory, a new short-form content marketing firm might treat them as a distributed workforce. — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 22 July 2026

The jury, as of 2026, is still out on whether the full distributed MIMO problem will be solved once the 6G standards start to be set in place, within three years. — Shivendra Panwar, IEEE Spectrum, 24 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing distributed

• distributed denial of service
• evenly distributed
• widely distributed

Rhymes for distributed

• attributed
• unattributed