Skip to main content
distributor

distributor

74 3.5
A company that supplies products to shops and businesses
  • noun
  • /dɪsˈtrɪbjutər/
translation icon : distribuidor
  • We went to various distributors, including the broadcast networks, the cable companies, et cetera, pitched the idea.
  • producers and distributors
  • manufacturers and distributors
  • distributors to retailers

We'll be seeking this dream distributor that you're going to sponsor.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • So I brought in eight of my biggest distributors from around the country.

  • For example, an order from Cuba comes in to some wholesale distributor in Canada.

    Academic text (1994)
  • I just got off the phone with the distributor.

  • The winner gets a contract with a major distributor.

  • And they are the distributor that most non Amazon retailers will buy from.

  • People had multiple levels of distributors and dealers and that sort of thing.

  • He works for a distributor in Philly.

  • The new music distributor helped local bands get their albums into shops across the country.

  • As the exclusive distributor for several brands, the company plays a vital role in the supply chain.

  • The distributor made sure that all the stores received their products on time for the holiday season.

Synonyms

provider
vsdistributor
282 2.9

A company or person that supplies services such as internet and electricity

focuses on physical goods supplied to retailers and business customers
vendor
vsdistributor
257 2.0

A person or company that sells things, for example at a market

is more specific about acting between producers and retailers rather than general selling
supplier
vsdistributor
204 2.7

A company or person that sells goods and services to businesses and people

is more specific to supplying shops as an intermediary between producers and retailers
purveyor
vsdistributor
23 6.7

A person or company that supplies food to shops and restaurants

is broader, applying to any goods supplied to shops or businesses
wholesaler
vsdistributor
22 3.5

A person or company that buys goods in large amounts from makers and sells them to shops

covers multiple supply channels beyond simple retail supply
middleman
vsdistributor
14 3.4

A person or company that buys large amounts of goods and sells them to shops

is broader, applying to many intermediary supplying roles
reseller
vsdistributor
12 3.7

A person or business that buys goods to sell to others for profit

focuses more on supplying shops and businesses as an intermediary
jobber
vsdistributor
  • Jargon
1 7.8

A person or company that buys large amounts of goods to sell to shops

is broader, covering several types of supply operations
distro
vsdistributor
  • Jargon
1 8.1

A company that buys goods from makers and sells them to shops

is the neutral formal term for that intermediary activity
stockist
vsdistributor
  • UK
1 6.1

A shop or company that has and sells goods of a particular brand

is mainly the company supplying shops rather than only holding stock
distributer
vsdistributor
  • US
3.4

A company or person that supplies goods to shops and businesses

is the standard spelling for the same supply role
disty
vsdistributor
  • Jargon
9.1

A company that supplies goods to shops and other sellers

is the neutral, standard term for that supplying business
middlewoman
vsdistributor
6.5

A woman who buys large amounts of goods and sells them to shops

is the general term without indicating the seller's gender
grosser
vsdistributor
  • Archaic
7.4

A person who sells goods in large amounts to shops

is the wider supplying term that also covers nonwholesale work
merchanter
vsdistributor
  • Archaic
8.1

A person or company that buys, sells, and moves goods

is the specific commercial intermediary supplying shops from producers
vender
vsdistributor
  • US
1.6

A person or business that sells to customers

is specifically the intermediary that supplies shops and businesses

Compounds

distributor cap
  • Specialized
2 6.9

A protective cover in a car engine that holds the wires to the spark plugs

distributor cam
  • Specialized
8.6

A part inside a car distributor that turns to send a spark to each spark plug in order

distributor housing
  • Specialized
8.0

A metal cover that holds and protects the cam that turns to send sparks in a car engine

8.6

A metal contact in a car's ignition that the rotor arm touches to send electricity to the spark plugs

A device in a car engine that sends high voltage to the spark plugs in the right order

How Large

national
2.0
distributor
74 3.5
regional
521 3.5

Surface Forms

distributor singular
distributors plural

Morphology

distributor = distribute (transparent) = distribute + or

Standard agentive noun formed from the verb 'distribute' with the productive suffix '-or', so the meaning 'one who distributes' is directly derived.

Etymology

Distributor comes from Latin parts dis- 'apart' and tribuere 'to give', the same root you see in contribute. Think of a distributor as someone who 'gives out' goods to shops, which is why the word means a company or person who supplies stores.