DISTRIBUTOR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does distributor mean? 

• DISTRIBUTOR (noun)
  The noun DISTRIBUTOR has 4 senses:

1. someone who markets merchandise

2. a person with authority to allot or deal out or apportion

3. a company that markets merchandise

4. electrical device that distributes voltage to the spark plugs of a gasoline engine in the order of the firing sequence

  Familiarity information: DISTRIBUTOR used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISTRIBUTOR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Someone who markets merchandise

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

distributer; distributor

Hypernyms ("distributor" is a kind of...):

provider; supplier (someone whose business is to supply a particular service or commodity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "distributor"):

jobber; middleman; wholesaler (someone who buys large quantities of goods and resells to merchants rather than to the ultimate customers)

retail merchant; retailer (a merchant who sells goods at retail)

ship chandler (a dealer in equipment and supplies for ships)

wool stapler (a dealer in wool)

Derivation:

distribute (make available)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A person with authority to allot or deal out or apportion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

allocator; distributor

Hypernyms ("distributor" is a kind of...):

authority ((usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others)

Derivation:

distribute (administer or bestow, as in small portions)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A company that markets merchandise

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

his company is a large distributor of software products

Hypernyms ("distributor" is a kind of...):

company (an institution created to conduct business)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "distributor"):

direct mailer (a distributor who uses direct mail to sell merchandise)

retail chain (a chain of retail stores)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Electrical device that distributes voltage to the spark plugs of a gasoline engine in the order of the firing sequence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

distributer; distributor; electrical distributor

Hypernyms ("distributor" is a kind of...):

electrical device (a device that produces or is powered by electricity)

Meronyms (parts of "distributor"):

capacitance; capacitor; condenser; electrical condenser (an electrical device characterized by its capacity to store an electric charge)

distributor cam (the cam inside the distributor that rotates to contact spark plug terminals in the correct order)

distributor cap (the cap of the distributor that holds in place the wires from the distributor to the spark plugs)

breaker point; distributor point; point (a contact in the distributor; as the rotor turns its projecting arm contacts them and current flows to the spark plugs)

rotor (the revolving bar of a distributor)

Holonyms ("distributor" is a part of...):

ignition; ignition system (the mechanism that ignites the fuel in an internal-combustion engine)

 Context examples 

NOTE(S): In this sense, the retailer is a distributor as well, the last one.

(Distributor, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

A device malfunction or problem that occurs because the device was not properly maintained according to the instructions (e.g., maintenance may be performed by user facility, distributor, or service provider).

(Device Maintenance Problem Evaluation Result, Food and Drug Administration)

A device that is incorrectly modified or prepared for use by distributor, service provider, or user facility.

(Device Incorrectly Prepared for Use or Modified Evaluation Conclusion, Food and Drug Administration)

A distinctive alpha-numeric identification code assigned by the manufacturer or distributor to a specific quantity of manufactured material or product within a batch.

(Lot Number, NCI Thesaurus)

A developer, supplier and distributor of reagents and assays for biopharmaceutical and academic research.

(BioCarta, NCI Thesaurus)

A distinctive alpha-numeric identification code assigned by the manufacturer or distributor to a specific quantity of manufactured material or product that is produced in a manner that is expected to render it homogeneous.

(Batch Number, NCI Thesaurus)