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distributor

distributor

52 3.5
A company that supplies products to shops and businesses
  • noun
  • /dɪsˈtrɪbjutər/
: 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.

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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
320 2.9

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

focuses on physical goods supplied to retailers and business customers
supplier
vsdistributor
191 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
vendor
vsdistributor
190 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
vender
vsdistributor
  • US
34 1.6

A person or business that sells to customers

is specifically the intermediary that supplies shops and businesses
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
20 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
reseller
vsdistributor
9 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
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
distributer
vsdistributor
  • US
1 3.4

A company or person that supplies goods to shops and businesses

is the standard spelling for the same supply role
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
middleman
vsdistributor
1 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
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
disty
vsdistributor
  • Jargon
1 9.1

A company that supplies goods to shops and other sellers

is the neutral, standard term for that supplying business
merchanter
vsdistributor
  • Archaic
1 8.1

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

is the specific commercial intermediary supplying shops from producers
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

Compounds

distributor cap
  • Specialized
3 6.9

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

1 8.6

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

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

How Large

national
∞ 2.0
distributor
52 3.5
regional
410 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.