# distribution

/ˌdɪstɹəbˈjuʃən/ (US) · /dˌɪstɹɪbjˈuːʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/distribution
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. sharing or giving out

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

- The charity organized the distribution of food and blankets to the families after the storm.
- The rapid distribution of emergency supplies was hampered by the collapse of several key bridges in the rural provinces.

### 2. business logistics

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

- The company is looking for a new partner to handle the distribution of its products in Europe.
- By streamlining their distribution network, the manufacturer managed to reduce delivery times by nearly forty percent across the domestic market.

### 3. spread or arrangement

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

- The map shows the distribution of different types of trees across the country.
- Ecologists are concerned that the uneven distribution of rainfall this season will negatively impact the migratory patterns of local bird species.

### 4. statistics

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Technical

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

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

- The test scores followed a normal distribution, with most students getting an average grade.
- The researchers analyzed the wealth distribution within the city to determine the extent of economic inequality between different neighborhoods.

### 5. computing

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

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

- He decided to install a popular Linux distribution on his old laptop to make it run faster.
- The developer maintained a custom distribution of the operating system, specifically optimized for high-performance server environments.

## Examples

- The distribution of the new books starts tomorrow morning.
- The company is looking for a new partner to handle the distribution of its products across Europe.
- Economists often study the distribution of wealth to understand how resources are allocated across different social classes and whether the gap between them is widening.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.