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 approach is part of a wider move in naval strategy toward more distributed and autonomous operations. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 2026

Levy wrote a book about the way affective computing and other forms of biometric surveillance have been deployed in the trucking industry—a field that, due to its mobile and distributed workforce, was long immune to surveillance. —Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026

The increasing accessibility of these technologies further lowers barriers to misuse, making biosecurity threats more distributed and difficult to control. —André O. Hudson, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026

SpaceX envisions linking the satellites by laser, giving them the power to process information as a single distributed brain. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 28 Mar. 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