Distributor
dɪˈstrɪbjətər
Definitions
2 meaningsA person or company that supplies goods to stores and other businesses.
dɪˈstrɪbjətər
A person or company that supplies goods to retailers or other businesses.
The distributor handles the logistics of getting the product to stores.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're a candy maker. You don't sell the candy yourself to everyone; instead, you have a distributor who delivers the candy to all the local stores and shops so that many people can buy your candy. The distributor is the middleman.
👶 For kids: A distributor is like a delivery person for stores. They take things from a big place to many little stores.
More Examples
They are looking for a reliable distributor to handle their products.
The car manufacturer has several distributors across the country.
How It's Used
"The company relies on a network of distributors to sell its products globally."
"A food distributor ensures that fresh produce reaches grocery stores in a timely manner."
A device or apparatus that distributes something, such as electricity or fuel.
dɪˈstrɪbjətər
A device that distributes something.
The engine's distributor was malfunctioning, causing the car to stall.
💡 Simply: Imagine a machine that spreads something out. Like, the gas in your car gets spread around from the 'distributor' to make the engine run.
👶 For kids: Sometimes, a distributor is a machine that spreads things out, like the spark that makes a car go.
More Examples
The electrical distributor sends power to the different circuits.
The gas distributor in the engine sends fuel to the cylinders.
How It's Used
"The car's distributor controls the timing of the spark plugs."
"The power distributor ensures that electricity is sent to different parts of the building."
From Middle English distributen, from Latin distributus, past participle of distribuere (“to divide, distribute”), from dis- (“apart”) + tribuere (“to assign, grant”).
The word distributor, in the sense of someone who distributes goods, started appearing with increased frequency in business contexts during the Industrial Revolution, along with more complex supply chains.
Memory tip
Think of a 'distribution' network - the person who is responsible for the 'distributing' part of the chain.