dis ‧ trib ‧ ute W2 AC /dɪˈstrɪbjuːt/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ distribution , ↑ distributor ; verb : ↑ distribute ; adjective : ↑ distributive ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: distribuere 'to give out' , from tribuere 'to give to a particular person' ]
1 . to share things among a group of people, especially in a planned way SYN give out
distribute something among/to somebody
Clothes and blankets have been distributed among the refugees.
a man distributing leaflets to passers-by
2 . to supply goods to shops and companies so that they can sell them:
Milk is distributed to the local shops by Herald’s Dairies.
3 . to spread something over a large area:
Make sure the weight of the load is evenly distributed.
4 . be distributed to exist in different parts of an area or group
be widely/evenly distributed
This species of dolphin is widely distributed throughout the world.
The population is distributed in a very uneven pattern.
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THESAURUS
■ to give something to a group of people
▪ hand something out/give something out to give something to each of the people in a group:
The teacher handed out the test papers.
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I’m going to give out some forms for you to fill in.
▪ distribute to give things to a large number of people, especially in the streets:
Anti-war protesters were distributing leaflets.
▪ share ( also share something out British English ) to divide something into equal parts and give a part to each person:
They shared the profits among the staff.