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: a sum of money withdrawn from a fund (such as a retirement fund) and given to the beneficiary (see beneficiary sense 2c) or holder of the fund
(2)
b
mathematics
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
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
The team analyzed surface temperature distribution across the aircraft to verify thermal-structure analysis techniques that could prove critical for future hypersonic designs.
—
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 19 May 2026
There are certain penalty exceptions, such as for distributions for higher education expenses or first home purchases.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 19 May 2026
The project will be directed by Nishil Sheth and structured as an official co-production under the India-Canada audio-visual co-production treaty, targeting global theatrical, streaming, and television distribution.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 May 2026
O’Brien continues to produce under the Sixteen Films banner but is also on a mission to gather all of Loach’s films in one collection, which is no mean feat because they were made under so many different production, sales and distribution configurations.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for distribution
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Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 19 May 2026
There are certain penalty exceptions, such as for distributions for higher education expenses or first home purchases.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 19 May 2026
The project will be directed by Nishil Sheth and structured as an official co-production under the India-Canada audio-visual co-production treaty, targeting global theatrical, streaming, and television distribution.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 May 2026
O’Brien continues to produce under the Sixteen Films banner but is also on a mission to gather all of Loach’s films in one collection, which is no mean feat because they were made under so many different production, sales and distribution configurations.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for distribution
Cite this Entry
“Distribution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/distribution. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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
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
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