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distribution

n.
US //ˌdɪstɹəbˈjuʃən// UK //dˌɪstɹɪbjˈuːʃən// dis·tri·bu·tion
  1. 1 sharing or giving out (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the act of giving things out to a large group of people.

    the act of apportioning or delivering items to a number of recipients.

    Example

    The charity organized the distribution of food and blankets to the families after the storm.

    Example

    The rapid distribution of emergency supplies was hampered by the collapse of several key bridges in the rural provinces.
  2. 2 business logistics (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Business

    the process of moving goods from a factory to shops and customers.

    the commercial activity of transporting and selling goods from producers to consumers.

    Example

    The company is looking for a new partner to handle the distribution of its products in Europe.

    Example

    By streamlining their distribution network, the manufacturer managed to reduce delivery times by nearly forty percent across the domestic market.
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  1. 3 spread or arrangement (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the way that something is spread across an area or among a group.

    the frequency of occurrence or the spatial arrangement of something within a specific area or population.

    Example

    The map shows the distribution of different types of trees across the country.

    Example

    Ecologists are concerned that the uneven distribution of rainfall this season will negatively impact the migratory patterns of local bird species.
  2. 4 statistics (n.)
    C1 Advanced Academic Technical Math

    a set of numbers showing how often different things happen in a study.

    a mathematical function or table that shows the possible values for a variable and how often they occur.

    Example

    The test scores followed a normal distribution, with most students getting an average grade.

    Example

    The researchers analyzed the wealth distribution within the city to determine the extent of economic inequality between different neighborhoods.
  3. 5 computing (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a specific version of a software package, like a version of Linux.

    a specific collection of software components bundled together for installation and use.

    Example

    He decided to install a popular Linux distribution on his old laptop to make it run faster.

    Example

    The developer maintained a custom distribution of the operating system, specifically optimized for high-performance server environments.
Origin

From Old French, from Latin distributio, from distribuere 'to distribute', itself from dis- 'apart' + tribuere 'to' (from tribus). By surface analysis, distribute + -ion.

Word family

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