multiply
verb
mul·ti·ply
| \ ˈməl-tə-ˌplī
\
\
multiplied;
multiplying
Definition of multiply
(Entry 1 of 3)
2a
: to find the product of by multiplication
multiply 7 and 8
b
: to use as a multiplicand in multiplication with another number
multiply 7 by 8
2
: to perform multiplication
multiply
adverb
mul·ti·ply
| \ ˈməl-tə-plē
\
\
Definition of multiply (Entry 2 of 3)
: in a multiple manner : in several ways
multiply talented children
multi-ply
adjective
mul·ti-ply
| \ ˌməl-tē-ˈplī
, -ˌtī-\
, -ˌtī-\
Definition of multi-ply (Entry 3 of 3)
: composed of several plies
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Synonyms for multiply
Synonyms: Verb
breed, procreate, propagate, reproduce
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Examples of multiply in a Sentence
Verb
Complaints about the new procedure soon multiplied. Her responsibilities multiplied when she was promoted. Her responsibilities were multiplied by the promotion. The bacteria multiply rapidly in warm, moist conditions. The teacher taught the children how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
But in the mid-1990s medical researchers, including those at the UAB Center for Aids Research, developed antiretroviral drugs that stop the virus from multiplying, reduce it to undetectable levels in the blood, and prevent passing it on to others. — Mike Cason | [email protected], al, "Providers want to find and stamp out HIV in rural Alabama," 12 Aug. 2019 The Russell 3000 Index includes close to 3,000 of the largest U.S. companies based on market capitalization (current share price multiplied by number of shares outstanding). — Dallas News, "Motley Fool: Ford's upside, giving up too soon on Beyond Meat and this week's trivia," 4 Aug. 2019 For a business built on the state and federal dollars that paid for each patient’s care — roughly $1,200 per resident per month, multiplied by as many as 350 beds in each home — the potential financial losses were devastating. — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, "After Failing Mentally Ill New Yorkers, Adult Homes Get Second Chance," 30 July 2019 The lower temperatures are responsible for slowing the growth of bacteria and preventing them from multiplying rapidly, which helps keep your meat fresher, longer. — Nicole Papantoniou, Good Housekeeping, "How to Make Sure Your Refrigerator Is Actually at a Safe Temperature," 29 July 2019 The 12 units multiplied by 748 gallons is nearly 9,000 gallons, or half the size of a swimming pool. — Julie Gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "District raises water and sewer rates, despite protests," 18 July 2019 That their sheer scale, multiplied by the wide spectrum of beliefs held by their users, makes moderation of any kind so Sisyphean and so subjective a task that the only possible solution is to allow for just about any idea, or any customer. — Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, "Wayfair and the New Politics of Corporate Responsibility," 26 June 2019 Kantar calculated the value of companies' brand by multiplying their earnings by the strength and growth potential of a firm's equity. — Sarah Min, CBS News, "Amazon tops Apple and Google as world's most valuable corporate brand," 11 June 2019 Though the field will usually conclude that the likelihood of an event has been multiplied by climate change, papers categorically linking an event to the climate crisis are not unheard of. — Natalie Sauer, Quartz, "Japan’s deadly heatwave would have been impossible without climate change," 1 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb
Next up as guest artists is a series of adventurous, multiply talented musicians including Matana Roberts and Darius Jones (July 19); Nico Muhly (Aug. 2); and John Zorn (Aug. 9). — New York Times, "He Turned the Met Museum’s Collection Into an Orchestra," 16 July 2019 While recriminations and lawsuits multiply over the event’s now-infamous collapse, almost $1 million is still unaccounted for, and it’s unclear exactly how the rest was spent. — Polly Mosendz, Bloomberg.com, "Fyre Festival Was Buried Under Millions in Debt Before It Even Began," 15 May 2017 Multiply that prosecutor times hundreds of lawyers working against Trump’s proposals, thousands of journalists covering his every move, and millions of detractors across the country and globe, and the research becomes almost instantaneous. — Mario Nicolais, The Denver Post, "Trump vs. Trump," 16 June 2017 At that same awards show, Blunt presented his pal with the Diamond Award to recognize the success of Ed's album x (Multiply) in Australia. — Emilee Lindner, Billboard, "Ed Sheeran & James Blunt: A Timeline of Their Friendship," 7 May 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'multiply.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for multiply
multiply
verb
English Language Learners Definition of multiply
: to increase greatly in number or amount : to become much more numerous
: to cause (something) to increase greatly in number or amount
: to increase in number by reproducing
See the full definition for multiply in the English Language Learners Dictionary
multiply
verb