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

If nobody wins an outright majority in the first tally, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their supporters' votes are redistributed to each voter's second choice. — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026

Kousser described the original 2012 tax increase as a game-changer that allowed the state to redistribute wealth from rich to poor regions. — Jenny Jarvie follow, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026

That provides an opportunity to investigate capacity, redistribute workloads or remove bottlenecks before the service standard is missed. — Allison Mais, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Before politicians can redistribute wealth, somebody has to create it. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 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