redistribute

verb

re·​dis·​trib·​ute ˌrē-də-ˈstri-ˌbyüt 

also -byət

redistributed; redistributing; redistributes

transitive verb

1

: to alter the distribution of : reallocate

2

: to spread to other areas

redistribution

(ˌ)rē-ˌdi-strə-ˈbyü-shən 

noun

redistributional

(ˌ)rē-ˌdi-strə-ˈbyü-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

redistributive

ˌrē-də-ˈstri-byü-tiv 

-byə-

adjective

Examples of redistribute in a Sentence

Unused federal funds will be redistributed to other states.

The government redistributed the land to the settlers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. — Helaine Williams, Arkansas Online, 4 July 2026

Aircraft can be redistributed between carriers if required, allowing naval forces to maintain combat capability during prolonged deployments. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026

Formally tracking the amount of care work that is done in the workplace and who is doing it exactly can make the invisible labor more visible, and help to redistribute the work across gender. — Holly Corbett, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

The air there is also extremely dry, which matters because water vapor normally helps absorb and redistribute heat. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for redistribute

• contribute
• distribute
• tribute

Kids Definition

redistribute

verb

re·​dis·​trib·​ute ˌrē-də-ˈstrib-yət 

1

: to change the distribution of

2

: to spread to other areas

redistribution

-ˌdis-trə-ˈbyü-shən 

noun