distribute
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to give something to each person in a large group.
to hand out or deliver items to a specific group of recipients. Transitive; requires a direct object.
Simple“The teacher will distribute the exam papers once everyone is sitting quietly.”
In context“Aid agencies worked around the clock to distribute emergency food supplies to the families displaced by the flooding.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'to'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to spread something across a surface or space.
to scatter or spread something more or less evenly over a particular area or through a space.
Simple“Make sure you distribute the seeds evenly across the garden bed.”
In context“The software is designed to distribute the processing load across several different servers to prevent any single machine from crashing.”
UsageCommonly used with 'evenly' or 'across'.
Antonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
to supply goods to shops and businesses so they can sell them.
to supply goods to retail outlets or secondary markets as part of a commercial chain.
Simple“The company distributes its products to over fifty countries worldwide.”
In context“The publisher signed a new deal with a major logistics firm to distribute their textbooks to university bookstores nationwide.”
Usage equally distribute · evenly distribute · normally distribute
“The agency has begun distributing fortified biscuits in Laymyethna Township, Ayeyarwady region in southwestern Myanmar.”
“Several Spanish towns and cities are distributing free glasses for the event, either via tourist offices, certain science museums or other.”
PIE word *tréyes From Latin distributus, past participle of distribuere (“to divide, distribute”), from dis- (“apart”) + tribuere (“to give, impart”); see tribute.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.