distribute - Definition | Dictionary definition of distribute

Definition of distribute

administer or bestow, as in small portions

Synonyms:: administer, allot, deal, deal out, dish out, dispense, dole out, lot, mete out, parcel out, shell out

Types:: show 9 types...; hide 9 types...; allot, assign, portion
give out; allow, appropriate, earmark, reserve, set aside
give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause; allocate, apportion
distribute according to a plan or set apart for a special purpose; reallot
allot again; deal
distribute cards to the players in a game; misdeal
deal cards wrongly; apply, give
give or convey physically; tread
apply (the tread) to a tire; administer
perform (a church sacrament) ritually

Type of:: give
transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody

distribute or disperse widely

Antonyms:: gather
assemble or get together; collect, garner, pull together; show more antonyms...

Types:: show 21 types...; hide 21 types...; generalise, generalize
become systemic and spread throughout the body; metastasise, metastasize
spread throughout the body; discharge
pour forth or release; eject, force out, squeeze out, squirt
cause to come out in a squirt; disperse, dot, dust, scatter, sprinkle
distribute loosely; play
discharge or direct or be discharged or directed as if in a continuous stream; volley
discharge in, or as if in, a volley; straw, strew
spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic); bestrew
cover by strewing; litter
make a place messy by strewing garbage around; export
cause to spread in another part of the world; propagate
transmit or cause to broaden or spread; deploy
to distribute systematically or strategically; redeploy
deploy anew; redistribute
distribute anew; sprawl, straggle
go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way; diffuse, fan out, spread, spread out
move outward; percolate
spread gradually; creep
grow or spread, often in such a way as to cover (a surface); bleed, run
be diffused; mantle
spread over a surface, like a mantle

make available

"The publisher wants to distribute the book in Asia"

Types:: show 5 types...; hide 5 types...; issue, supply
circulate or distribute or equip with; free, release, unblock, unfreeze
make (assets) available; reissue
issue (a new version of); free, release
make (information) available for publication; reticulate
distribute by a network, as of water or electricity

give to several people

Types:: apportion, deal, divvy up, portion out, share
give out as one's portion or share

cause be distributed

Types:: show 8 types...; hide 8 types...; send around
forward to others; circularise, circularize
distribute circulars to; utter
put into circulation; scatter, spread, spread out
strew or distribute over an area; manure, muck
spread manure, as for fertilization; birdlime, lime
spread birdlime on branches to catch birds; circumfuse
spread something around something; distribute
spread throughout a given area

Type of:: displace, move
cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense

cause to become widely known

Synonyms:: broadcast, circularise, circularize, circulate, diffuse, disperse, disseminate, pass around, propagate, spread; go around
become widely known and passed on

Types:: show 4 types...; hide 4 types...; podcast
distribute (multimedia files) over the internet for playback on a mobile device or a personal computer; sow
introduce into an environment; generalise, generalize, popularise, popularize, vulgarise, vulgarize
cater to popular taste to make popular and present to the general public; bring into general or common use; carry, run
include as the content; broadcast or publicize