Meaning & use
distribution
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of giving out or delivering something to people or places.
Grammar: Can be used with 'a' (a distribution) or without (distribution of goods).
Patterns
- distribution of something
- distribution to someone
The distribution of food to the refugees began yesterday.
They are responsible for the distribution of aid.
The company handles the distribution of its products worldwide.
nouncountable or uncountable
The way something is spread or shared among people or over an area.
Grammar: Often used with 'the': the distribution of wealth.
Patterns
- the distribution of something
- distribution among someone
The distribution of wealth in the country is very unequal.
We studied the distribution of rainfall across the region.
The distribution of resources among the schools was fair.
nouncountablemathematicsspecialist
In statistics, the pattern of how values are spread across a range.
Grammar: Used with 'a' or 'the': a normal distribution.
Patterns
- a normal distribution
- the distribution of something
The data follows a normal distribution.
The distribution of test scores was skewed to the right.
We analyzed the probability distribution of the outcomes.
Word forms
| plural | distributions |
|---|
Common combinations
- distribution of wealth
- The distribution of wealth has become more unequal.
- distribution network
- The company has a global distribution network.
- normal distribution
- In a normal distribution, most values cluster around the mean.
- distribution center
- The goods are stored in a distribution center before shipping.
Synonyms and how they differ
- allocation
- Focuses on the act of deciding how to share something out, often officially.
- dispersion
- Used in technical contexts for the spreading of particles or values.
Opposites
Word family
- distribute verb
- To give out or spread something.
- distributor noun
- A person or company that supplies goods to shops.
- distributive adjective
- Relating to distribution.
Commonly confused: distribution or attribution?
distribution vs attribution
Attribution is about saying who or what is responsible for something; distribution is about giving out or spreading.
Practice
The ______ of the prizes will take place after the ceremony.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs a noun as the subject, so 'distribution' is correct. 'Distribute' is a verb, 'distributed' is the past tense or adjective, and 'distributing' is a participle, none of which fit the subject position here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “distribution”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.