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distribution

noun
dis·​tri·​bu·​tion | \ ËŒdi-strÉ™-ˈbyü-shÉ™n How to pronounce distribution (audio) \

Definition of distribution

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(1) : a sum of money withdrawn from a fund (such as a retirement fund) and given to the beneficiary (see beneficiary sense 2b) or holder of the fund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

distributional \ ËŒdi-​strÉ™-​ˈbyü-​shnÉ™l How to pronounce distributional (audio) , -​shÉ™-​nᵊl \ adjective

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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 In the warehouses and distribution centers, as with the drivers, every movement is monitored. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Amazon Is a Logistical Disaster," 11 Sep. 2019 The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the incident happened at a Coca-Cola distribution center. — NBC News, "Florida police investigating incident with 'multiple stabbing victims'," 11 Sep. 2019 By July, Fred's had just 80 stores and 166 drugstores, mostly around its distribution center in Dublin, Georgia, according to a release. — Sarah Min, CBS News, "Fred's to close all remaining stores after declaring bankruptcy," 9 Sep. 2019 In 1964, George Grier, then county administrator, was traveling to New York to negotiate with Bennett Cerf to bring a Random House distribution center just outside of Westminster. — Kevin Dayhoff, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Dayhoff: Westminster had electricity, and a yellow light, in 1964 but much has changed since," 7 Sep. 2019 Crews began clearing streets and setting up aid distribution centers. — Washington Post, "Aid effort picks up momentum as some Bahamians seek way out," 6 Sep. 2019 The concern about tropical storm winds overnight and early Wednesday forced a decision to keep the tractor trailers that bring the papers to distribution centers — and the carriers who bring them to homes — off the roads. — John Cutter, orlandosentinel.com, "Hurricane Dorian stayed off coast, so where is my Orlando Sentinel?," 4 Sep. 2019 Bostwick Design Partnership and Ubiquitous Design — Woodland Branch (renovation and addition, plus a central distribution center). — Steven Litt, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Public Library picks design teams for first 5 projects in $100 million plan to improve 27 branches," 29 Aug. 2019 Lidl, the German discount grocer that’s growing in Maryland, will begin hiring more than 200 people next month for its regional headquarters and distribution center in Perryville. — Lorraine Mirabella, baltimoresun.com, "Lidl kicks off hiring for Perryville warehouse and regional headquarters," 26 Aug. 2019

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.

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First Known Use of distribution

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

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More Definitions for distribution

distribution

noun
How to pronounce distribution (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of distribution

: 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

See the full definition for distribution in the English Language Learners Dictionary

distribution

noun
dis·​tri·​bu·​tion | \ ËŒdi-strÉ™-ˈbyü-shÉ™n How to pronounce distribution (audio) \

Kids Definition of distribution

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

distribution

noun
dis·​tri·​bu·​tion | \ ËŒdis-trÉ™-ˈbyü-shÉ™n How to pronounce distribution (audio) \

Medical Definition of distribution

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