distribution

play

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

Definition of distribution

1 a :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

2 a :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

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(1) :a sum of money withdrawn from a fund (such as a retirement fund) and given to the beneficiary (see beneficiary 2b) or holder of the fund

(2) :dividend 1a

b mathematics

(1) :frequency distribution

(2) :probability function

(3) :probability density function 2

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

5 business :the marketing or merchandising of commodities

keeping track of distribution costs

—

distributional

play \-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

See distribution defined for English-language learners

See distribution defined for kids

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 of distribution from the Web

Jack Lamar Jordan, of Monroeville, was arrested Aug. 8 on a drug distribution charge stemming from an ongoing federal and state investigation.

— jonece starr dunigan, AL.com, "Monroe County man accused of supplying Conecuh County commissioner with drugs," 29 Aug. 2017
Having multiple distribution outlets in city centers could speed up local delivery times.

— farhad manjoo and mike isaac, New York Times, "Farhad and Mike’s Week in Review: Apple’s Self-Driving Shift," 25 Aug. 2017
The Enquirer's geek-a-thon starts at 12:30 p.m. with a photography lesson and the distribution of 250 eclipse viewing glasses before the magic starts at 1 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

— kimberly armstrong, Cincinnati.com, "Where to watch Monday's solar eclipse for free around Greater Cincinnati," 17 Aug. 2017
Keeping the fruit frozen eliminates the possibility of smushing them into your batter while mixing (ultimately turning your beautiful batter red or purple), and keeping the fruit small keeps that distribution even.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "How to Use Frozen Fruit in Your Favorite Pies, Bars, and Muffins," 15 Aug. 2017
In the electric-utility industry, laws and regulatory bodies exist to ensure that the owners of transmission and distribution networks cannot arbitrarily discriminate against certain generators.

— jeremy carl, National Review, "How to Break Silicon Valley’s Anti-Free-Speech Monopoly," 15 Aug. 2017
Building it is expected to create as many as 100 construction jobs, and once completed, the warehouse/distribution building could create up to 340 permanent jobs, according to Hillwood, which is expecting to invest $18 million in the project.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Plans move ahead for new spec building in Tinley Park," 11 Aug. 2017
Affectionately known as ‘Mari,' Little Miss Flint partnered with the Pack Your Back organization for a school supply distribution in Flint, Michigan on Sunday.

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "Little Miss Flint Just Helped 1,000 Local Kids Get New School Supplies," 8 Aug. 2017
The baby caps are accepted throughout the year, but only those received by October 1 will be included in this year's hospital distribution.

— kelly o'sullivan, Country Living, "The Department of Health Seeks Knitters' Help in Campaign to Prevent Infant Deaths," 3 Aug. 2017

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.

First Known Use of distribution

14th century

distribution Synonyms

DISTRIBUTION Defined for English Language Learners

distribution

play

noun

Definition of distribution for English Language Learners

: 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

DISTRIBUTION Defined for Kids

distribution

play

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

Definition of distribution for Students

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

Medical Dictionary

distribution

play

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)

Law Dictionary

distribution

play

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

—

distributive

play \di-ˈstri-byu̇-tiv\ adjective

Learn More about distribution

See words that rhyme with distribution Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for distribution Spanish Central: Translation of distribution Nglish: Translation of distribution for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of distribution for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about distribution

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up distribution? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

distribution

Definition of distribution

distributional

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of distribution in a Sentence

Recent Examples of distribution from the Web

First Known Use of distribution

distribution Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

DISTRIBUTION Defined for English Language Learners

distribution

Definition of distribution for English Language Learners

DISTRIBUTION Defined for Kids

distribution

Definition of distribution for Students

Medical Dictionary

distribution

medical Definition of distribution

Law Dictionary

distribution

legal Definition of distribution

distributive

Learn More about distribution

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066