distribute

verb

1. 1

   To divide into portions and dispense.

   He distributed the bread amongst his followers.

2. 2

   To supply to retail outlets.

   The agency distributes newspapers to local shops.

3. 3

   To deliver or pass out.

   A network of children distributes flyers to every house.

   Above all, the 48-page timetables of the new service, which have been distributed free at every station in the scheme, are a model to the rest of B.R. For the first time on British Railways, so far as we are aware, a substantial timetable has been produced, not only without a single footnote but also devoid of all wearisome asterisks, stars, letter suffixes and other hieroglyphics.

   Datacasting bypasses the wired, terrestrial Internet and is a cheaper way to distribute software than pressing and mailing CDs.

4. 4

   To scatter or spread.

   I raked the soil then distributed grass seed.

   The air-handling equipment humidifies, dehumidifies, and distributes the correct amount of fresh air into every zone and eliminates all smoke, dust, and odors, with electric precipitrons.

5. 5

   To apportion (more or less evenly).

   The robot's six legs distributed its weight over a wide area.

   With an election not much more than a year away, distributing HS2's money into roads is pork barrel politics. Or at least it would be if the money existed.

6. 6

   To classify or separate into categories.

   The database distributed verbs into transitive and intransitive segments.

7. 7

   To be distributive.

   Multiplication distributes over addition.

8. 8

   To separate (type which has been used) and return it to the proper boxes in the cases.

9. 9

   To spread (ink) evenly, as upon a roller or a table.

10. 10

    To employ (a term) in its whole extent; to take as universal in one premise.

    A term is said to be distributed when it is taken universal, so as to stand for everything it is capable of being applied to.

11. 11

    To have employees working remotely from multiple locations.

    distributed business; distributed employee

Forms

past tense

distributed

past participle

distributed

present participle

distributing

third person singular

distributes