distribute
Intermediate (B1)
IPA: /dɪˈstrɪbjuːt/
KK: /dɪˈstrɪbjut/
intransitive verb
Definition
To share or spread something out to different people or places.
Example
The volunteers will distribute food to the needy families.
Tense Forms
Past: distributed
Past Participle: distributed
Conversation
Have you noticed how they distribute the workload evenly among the team?
Yeah, it really helps everyone stay on track with their tasks.
I think it’s great because it allows us to collaborate better.
Absolutely! It makes the whole project smoother.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
allocate
apportion
dispense
Antonyms
withhold
retain
conserve
transitive verb
Definition
To give out or spread something to different people or places.
Example
The teacher will distribute the worksheets to the students.
Tense Forms
Past: distributed
Past Participle: distributed
Conversation
How do we plan to distribute the flyers for the event?
I think we should split them up among the team members.
That makes sense; we can cover more ground if we all distribute them at once.
Root Explanation
Distribute → It is formed from "dis-" (meaning apart) and "tribuere" (meaning to assign or give). The word describes the act of giving or assigning things apart to different people or places.
Memory Tip
Think of things being 'given apart' — 'dis-' means apart, and 'tribuere' means to assign.
Visually Confused Words
redistribute
undistributed
redistributer
predistribute
misdistribute
redistributive
tribute
misattribute