Definition

1. Noun:
   • A company or business that supplies goods to stores or other businesses: A distributor acts as an intermediary between a manufacturer and retailers, handling the marketing and sale of products.
   • A person or entity that allocates or apportions something: This refers to someone with the authority to deal out or distribute resources, information, or responsibilities.
   • An electrical device in a gasoline engine: This is a mechanical component that sends high voltage from the ignition coil to the spark plugs in the correct firing sequence.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Company):
  • The film distributor secured rights to show the movie in theaters nationwide.
  • She works for a major food distributor that supplies restaurants across the state.
• Noun (Person/Entity):
  • As the fund distributor, he was responsible for allocating grants to various charities.
• Noun (Electrical Device):
  • The mechanic replaced the faulty distributor to fix the engine's timing issue.

Advanced Usage

• "To act as a distributor for": To serve as the official agent for selling and supplying a particular product.
  • The firm acts as the exclusive distributor for the brand in Europe.
• In a figurative sense: Can describe a person or system that spreads or disseminates something non-physical.
  • The website became a key distributor of misinformation during the crisis.

Variants and Related Words

• Distribute (verb): To give out or deliver something to a number of people or places.
  • The organization will distribute aid to the affected regions.
• Distribution (noun): The action of sharing something out, or the way something is spread over an area.
  • The map shows the population distribution across the country.
• Distributorship (noun): The position or business of being a distributor.
  • They were offered a distributorship for the new line of automotive parts.

Synonyms

• Supplier: A person or organization that provides something needed.
• Wholesaler: A person or company that sells goods in large quantities at low prices, typically to retailers.
• Allocator: A person or system that distributes resources.

Related Phrases

• Master distributor: A primary or top-level distributor who may supply regional or smaller distributors.
  • The company appointed a master distributor to manage its network across Asia.
• Authorized distributor: A distributor officially sanctioned by the manufacturer.
  • You should buy parts from an authorized distributor to ensure the warranty is valid.

Noun

1. electrical device that distributes voltage to the spark plugs of a gasoline engine in the order of the firing sequence
2. a company that markets merchandise
   • his company is a large distributor of software products
3. a person with authority to allot or deal out or apportion
4. someone who markets merchandise