Synonyms for distribute
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Dispense
dispense, deal out, give out, administer, parcel out, allot, portion out, divide, apportion, share, deal, dole out, dispose, classify, assign, arrange, share out, dish out, assort, serve, sort, allocate
2. Disperse
disperse, spread, disseminate, diffuse, propagate, circulate, pass around, broadcast, pass on, scatter, circularize, circularise UK, sow, strew dated
Other
categorize, categorise UK, prorate, stagger, courier, dispend dated, sparble dated rare
Definitions
- v. 1
To divide into portions and dispense.
He distributed the bread amongst his followers.
- v. 2
To supply to retail outlets.
The agency distributes newspapers to local shops.
Related words
- Word family
- distributable distributer distribution distributivity distributor
- Is a kind of
- disseminate give separate spread
Forms
- Past participle
- distributed
e.g. distributed → dispensed, administered, allotted, divided…
Choose the right word
To allot or assign may be to make an arbitrary division; the same is true of distribute or divide.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- divide It's better to divide the corpse into five pieces.
- administer I know how to administer injections.
- dispense We can not dispense with sleep for too many days.
- apportion We need to figure out how to apportion the food.
- disperse The police hurried to disperse the riots with force.
- diffuse There are focused and diffuse modes of thinking.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| distribute | steady | |
| divide | rising | |
| administer | falling | |
| dispense | falling | |
| apportion | falling | |
| disperse | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- sow1
- 4 letters
- deal1, sort1
- 5 letters
- share1, serve1, allot2, strew1
- 6 letters
- spread1, divide2, assign2, assort2
- 7 letters
- arrange2, courier3, dispose2, scatter2, diffuse2, stagger2, prorate2, dispend, sparble
- 8 letters
- classify3, allocate3, disperse2, dispense2
- 9 letters
- broadcast2, circulate3, propagate3, apportion3
- 10 letters
- administer4, categorize4, categorise
- 11 letters
- disseminate4, circularize4, circularise
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (allot2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- distribuer