distribution

noun

dis·​tri·​bu·​tion ˌdi-strə-ˈbyü-shən 

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: a sum of money withdrawn from a fund (such as a retirement fund) and given to the beneficiary (see beneficiary sense 2b) or holder of the fund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

distributional

ˌdi-strə-ˈbyü-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• allocation
• redistribution

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

Early last month, Walt Disney's ESPN and the NFL agreed to a deal in which Disney would acquire the NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and the distribution rights to NFL RedZone in exchange for a 10% equity stake in ESPN. —Michael Ozanian, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025

Other deaths reported on Tuesday included five people who were in a line waiting for food at an aid distribution hub in southern Gaza, Palestinian medics said. —Emily Rose, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025

As noted in Bergman’s memo, DTG leaders Flatt and Quart will continue to report to Cathleen Taff, Disney’s president of production, franchise management and theatrical distribution. —Gordon Cox, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025

And, Google will be barred from entering into or maintaining exclusive contracts related to the distribution of services like Chrome, Search, the Google Assistant and its Gemini app. —Jade Walker, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing distribution

• binomial distribution
• chi-square distribution
• cumulative distribution function
• distribution function
• F distribution
• frequency distribution
• Gaussian distribution
• hypergeometric distribution
• normal distribution
• Poisson distribution
• probability distribution
• skew distribution
• student's t distribution
• t distribution
• z distribution

Rhymes for distribution

• absolution
• allocution
• attribution
• comminution
• constitution
• contribution
• convolution
• destitution
• devolution
• diminution
• dissolution
• elocution

Kids Definition

distribution

noun

dis·​tri·​bu·​tion ˌdis-trə-ˈbyü-shən 

1

: the act or process of distributing

2

a

: the position, arrangement, or numbers (as of the members of a group) over an area or throughout a space or unit of time

b

: the natural geographic range of a living thing

the distribution of human beings

3

a

: something distributed

b

: frequency distribution

population age distribution

4

: the marketing of goods

distributional

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective

Medical Definition

distribution

noun

dis·​tri·​bu·​tion ˌdis-trə-ˈbyü-shən 

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

Legal Definition

distribution

noun

dis·​tri·​bu·​tion ˌdis-trə-ˈbyü-shən 

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

di-ˈstri-byu̇-tiv 

adjective