WordGarden.iomultiplex
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /mˈʌltɪplˌɛks/
US
- /ˈməltiˌplɛks/
Meanings
Noun
a movie theater complex with several screens
Adjective
involving multiple simultaneous channels, signals, or tests
Verb
to combine several signals or data streams into one transmission or system
Beyond the definition
You might first think of a multiplex as a movie theater with several screens showing different films at the same time. That is the most common everyday meaning. It can also describe a building or place with several parts joined together, or something that carries several signals, messages, or kinds of information through one system.
The word comes from Latin and carries the idea of something folded together in many parts. In that sense, it often points to something combined, layered, or shared. For example, in science, a multiplex test can check for several things at once. In communication systems, to multiplex means to send several signals through one channel.
While the word "multiplex" is most commonly linked today with a cinema complex that has several screens, its meaning extends beyond entertainment. At its core, it refers to something that brings several parts, uses, or signals together within one larger system. The exact meaning depends on the field and the sentence around it.
In everyday English, a multiplex usually means a movie theater with many screens. It can also describe a large building or development with several units or functions, such as shops, offices, or entertainment spaces in one place. In social science, a multiplex relationship is one in which two people are connected in more than one way, such as being coworkers and friends at the same time.
The word also has an important technical use. In telecommunications and computing, multiplexing is the act of combining several signals and sending them through one shared channel, then separating them again when needed. In medicine and laboratory work, a multiplex assay or multiplex test checks for several targets at once, which saves time and materials.
So, while the first picture in your mind may be a cinema, the word is broader than that. It often carries the idea of many-in-one: several screens in one theater, several uses in one building, or several signals or test targets handled together in one system.
Examples
- 1
Cinema
We saw the new film at the multiplex near the mall.
- 2
Movie theaters
The town's old movie theater closed when a larger multiplex opened outside the center.
- 3
Medical testing
The clinic offers a multiplex test that can look for several respiratory viruses from one sample.
- 4
Signal engineering
Engineers multiplex the signals so more data can travel through the same cable.
See also
Similar
- movie theater
- cinema
Shades of meaning
- multiscreen theater
- cinema complex
- megaplex
Contrast
- single-screen theater
- arthouse cinema
Used with (collocations)
- local multiplex
- multiplex cinema
- multiplex chain
Explore
- screening room
- box office
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- multiplexnounadjective
Forms
- multiplexespluralnounadjective