redistribution

redistribution — noun

1. the process of taking money, land, or other resources that are already held by s

1.nounC1
Definition

the process of taking money, land, or other resources that are already held by some people or groups and giving them to others, usually to make the system more equal.

Example

The government's land redistribution gave small farmers their own fields to grow food on.

of + noun: redistribution of land / wealth / resources

Kian argued that redistribution of wealth through fairer taxes could reduce poverty in rural areas.

collocation: redistribution of wealth

Common collocations
  • redistribution of wealth
  • redistribution of income
  • redistribution of land
  • redistribution of resources
  • redistribution of power
  • fair redistribution
  • radical redistribution
  • economic redistribution
  • government redistribution
Synonyms
  • reallocation

    focuses on the act of assigning resources to new purposes or people, while 'redistribution' emphasises moving things from those who have them to those who do not.

  • reapportionment

    more formal and often used in legal or political contexts such as seats in a legislature; 'redistribution' is broader in scope.

  • reassignment

    typically used for tasks, roles, or people rather than resources or wealth; narrower than 'redistribution'.

Antonyms
  • concentration

    describes wealth or resources gathering in fewer hands rather than being spread out.

  • accumulation

    emphasises building up stock in one place, the opposite of spreading resources across a group.

Grammar Patterns

redistribution of [resource]

a + adjective + redistribution of [resource]

Usage Note

Frequently uncountable (e.g., 'redistribution of wealth'), but a + adjective + redistribution of occurs when describing a specific instance: 'a fair redistribution of resources'. Common in economic, political, and social-policy contexts.

Common Mistakes

The charity focuses on distribution of food to poor families.' (when meaning giving again in a different way)
The charity focuses on the redistribution of food to poor families.
'distribution' is a general act of giving out; 'redistribution' always implies something was already given out once and is now being shared again in a new way.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Redistribution, reallocation, reapportionment, and reassignment all describe changing how something is divided, but they differ in scope and context. Redistribution is the broadest term, used for wealth, land, resources, or power, and carries a strong social-justice implication — the goal is usually to make the system fairer. Reallocation focuses on moving resources to different purposes or people within an existing system (e.g., reallocating a budget from one department to another) without the fairness overtones. Reapportionment is a formal, often legal term, most familiar in politics for redrawing district boundaries or reassigning legislative seats; it is narrower and procedural. Reassignment is typically used for people, roles, or tasks (e.g., reassigning an employee to a new team) and rarely applies to abstract resources. For everyday discussion of economic fairness, redistribution is the natural choice; for budget planning within an organisation, reallocation fits better.

reallocationreapportionmentreassignment

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • fair redistribution of
  • redistribution of wealth
  • radical redistribution
  • economic redistribution

Prepositions

  • redistribution of
  • redistribution among
  • redistribution from...to

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Formed from the prefix 're-' (Latin, meaning 'again' or 'back') and 'distribution', which comes from Latin 'distribuere' ('to divide out, to give out'), itself from 'dis-' ('apart') and 'tribuere' ('to assign, to give'). The word entered English in the early 17th century and became common in political and economic debate from the 19th century onward.