Multiply Definition & Meaning

American

British

Scientific

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms multiply 1 American [muhl-tuh-plee] / ˈmʌl tə pli /

adverb

1. in several or many ways; in a multiple manner; manifoldly.

multiply 2 American [muhl-tuh-plahy] / ˈmʌl təˌplaɪ /

verb (used with object)

multiplied, multiplying

1. to make many or manifold; increase the number, quantity, etc., of.

2. Arithmetic. to find the product of by multiplication.

3. to breed (animals).

4. to propagate (plants).

5. to increase by procreation.

verb (used without object)

multiplied, multiplying

1. to grow in number, quantity, etc.; increase.

   Synonyms: mushroom, grow, proliferate

2. Arithmetic. to perform the process of multiplication.

3. to increase in number by procreation or natural generation.

multiply British / ˈmʌltɪˌplaɪ /

verb

1. to increase or cause to increase in number, quantity, or degree

2. (tr) to combine (two numbers or quantities) by multiplication

3. (intr) to increase in number by reproduction

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 multiply Scientific / mŭl′tə-plī′ /

1. To perform multiplication on a pair of quantities.

Other Word Forms

• multipliable adjective
• self-multiplied adjective
• self-multiplying adjective
• unmultiplied adjective
• unmultiplying adjective

Etymology

Origin of multiply1

First recorded in 1880–85; multiple + -ly

Origin of multiply1

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English multiplien, from Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicāre; multi-, ply 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Yet, again, his goal is not to provide numbers to be added, subtracted, multiplied and divided, but to shower his audience with numbers big enough to make their eyes glaze over.

From Los Angeles Times

As his audience multiplies, Fish’s earliest followers remain enthralled by his seemingly infinite rise.

From Los Angeles Times

Today, Cahillane said he was focused on multiplying the number of occasions that Heinz and other brands can fit into.

From The Wall Street Journal

These cells -- also known as "zombie cells" -- stop multiplying but fail to clear themselves from the body as healthy cells normally do.

From Science Daily

Stories multiply like toadstools in forest loam in the fiction of Thomas Pynchon, America’s most devout skeptic of the narrative urge, yet also one of its greatest exponents.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accumulate
• augment
• boost
• breed
• build up
• enlarge
• expand
• generate
• heighten
• magnify
• proliferate
• propagate
• spread

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.