distribution

noun

dis·tri·bu·tion | \ ˌdi-strə-ˈbyü-shən

Definition of distribution

1a : the act or process of distributing the distribution of leaflets profit distribution the distribution of weight

b law : the act or process of apportioning by a court the personal property of an intestate

2a : the position, arrangement, or frequency of occurrence (as of the members of a group) over an area or throughout a space or unit of time the distribution of the country's population

b biology : the natural geographic range of an organism

3a : something distributed charitable distributions : such as

(1) : a sum of money withdrawn from a fund (such as a retirement fund) and given to the beneficiary (see beneficiary sense 2b) or holder of the fund

(2) : dividend sense 1a

b mathematics

(1) : frequency distribution

(2) : probability function

(3) : probability density function sense 2

4 anatomy : the pattern of branching and termination (see termination sense 4) of a ramifying structure (such as a nerve)

5 business : the marketing or merchandising of commodities keeping track of distribution costs

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Examples of distribution in a Sentence

The group collects food and clothing for distribution to needy families. The distribution of paychecks will happen every other Friday. The university does not permit distribution of leaflets on campus. She was responsible for product distribution. The company handles the distribution of goods to stores nationwide. He complained that the distribution of work was unfair. He studies the distributions of wildcats in North America. The new design provides better weight distribution.

Recent Examples on the Web

San Francisco last week became the first city to ban the sale, distribution and manufacturing of vaping products, pitting it against hometown startup Juul, with sales of about $2 billion. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, "Vermont imposes 92% tax on e-cigarettes," 1 July 2019 The Newtok-to-Mertarvik move is different, because Newtok is a modern village with electric power distribution, frame houses and a landfill. — Anchorage Daily News, "Relocation of erosion-threatened Alaska village progresses to ‘sprint’ pace this summer," 29 June 2019 The facilities will serve as an operational hub for the company’s warehouse, distribution, manufacturing and fabrication operations. — Katherine Feser, Houston Chronicle, "Real estate transactions: Distribution International inks sublease in KBR Tower," 28 June 2019 The plan would ban the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes, as well as prohibit e-cigarette manufacturing on city property. — Taylor Kate Brown, SFChronicle.com, "Bay Briefing: A Big Tobacco redux?," 26 June 2019 Information about baggage weight and distribution can be important for pilots making key decisions in emergency situations and during takeoff and landing. — Dallas News, "FAA moves three senior managers overseeing Southwest Airlines amid federal investigation," 26 June 2019 In combination, these enabled the country to offer foreign companies the convenience of one-stop shopping — low-cost production and reliable global distribution from China’s coastal manufacturing sites. — Christopher R. O'dea, National Review, "How China Weaponized the Global Supply Chain," 20 June 2019 Supervisors unanimously approved a ban on the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes. — Time, "San Francisco Moves Closer to Imposing America's First E-Cigarette Ban," 19 June 2019 Industry experts view the logistics share of GDP as a measure of the efficiency of transportation and distribution networks, and last year’s figure was sharply up from a 7.5% share in 2017. — Jennifer Smith, WSJ, "Logistics Spending Jumped 11.4% on Strong Economic Growth," 18 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'distribution.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near distribution

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Last Updated

7 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for distribution

The first known use of distribution was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for distribution

distribution

noun

English Language Learners Definition of distribution

: the act of giving or delivering something to people

: the act of delivering something to a store or business

: the way that something is divided or spread out

See the full definition for distribution in the English Language Learners Dictionary

distribution

noun

dis·tri·bu·tion | \ ˌdi-strə-ˈbyü-shən

Kids Definition of distribution

1 : the act of giving out or delivering to

2 : the way things are divided or spread out She studies the distribution of wildcats in the area.

3 : something given out or delivered to or divided among

distribution

noun

dis·tri·bu·tion | \ ˌdis-trə-ˈbyü-shən

Medical Definition of distribution

: the pattern of branching and termination of a ramifying anatomical structure (as a nerve or artery)

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distribution

noun

dis·tri·bu·tion | \ ˌdis-trə-ˈbyü-shən

Legal Definition of distribution

1 : the act or process of distributing: as

a : the apportionment by a court of the property and especially personal property of an intestate among those entitled to it according to statute — compare descent, devise

Note: The laws dealing with intestate succession are often called laws of descent and distribution.

b : the payment or transfer to a beneficiary of interest to which he or she is entitled under a trust

c : the transfer by a corporation or mutual fund of money or property to a shareholder in his or her capacity as a shareholder

d : the initial offering to the public of a security by a corporation

e : the delivery of a controlled substance

2 : something distributed