WordGarden.iomultiply
B2Pronunciation
UK
US
- /ˈməltəˌplaɪ/
Meanings
Verb
to calculate by repeated addition or find the product of numbers
to increase greatly in number, amount, or effect
to reproduce or increase in cells or living organisms
Beyond the definition
We often think of multiply as something you do with numbers, like turning 3 into 6 or 5 into 25. But it is much more than just math. To multiply means to increase greatly in number or amount. Think about rabbits: they multiply quickly. Or think about problems: one small mistake can multiply into many more. In math, it also means combining equal groups, like adding the same number again and again. More generally, it can describe anything that grows fast and becomes many.
To multiply means to increase in number or amount, often quickly. People know the word best from mathematics, where 3 x 4 means three groups of four, or adding 3 four times. But the word reaches far beyond arithmetic. Bacteria multiply under the right conditions, growing from a few cells into millions. Problems can also multiply when one issue leads to several others.
The word also describes the act of breeding or reproducing. Animals multiply to ensure the survival of their species. A farmer might hope his livestock will multiply, increasing his herd size.
Beyond these literal meanings, multiply can also be used in a broader or figurative way. Costs may multiply as a project grows. Worries may multiply during a difficult week. In each case, the idea is the same: one thing becomes many, or an amount grows larger and larger.
So whether you are working with numbers, watching living things reproduce, or describing how problems or costs grow, multiply is a word about increase, repetition, and expansion. It suggests that something is not just getting bigger, but becoming many.
Examples
- 1
Basic math
If you multiply 8 by 5, you get 40.
- 2
Total cost
To find the total cost, multiply the price by the number of tickets.
- 3
Cell growth
The cells multiply quickly in warm conditions.
- 4
Rumors
Rumors multiplied after the meeting.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Mistakes
Small mistakes can multiply if no one checks the work.
- 6
Likely success
Regular practice can multiply your chances of passing the test.
- Phrasemultiply your chances
make success much more likely
- 7
Product interest
The new campaign multiplied interest in the product.
- 8
Algebra
In algebra class, we learned how to multiply out brackets.
- Domainin algebra, multiply out brackets
remove brackets by multiplying each part
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- multiply rapidly
- multiply the effect
- multiply in number
Word family
Explore
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- multiplyverbadverb
Forms
- multipliedpast tenseverbadverb
- multiplying-ing formverbadverb
- multipliesverbadverb