multiply
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to make many or manifold; increase the number, quantity, etc., of.
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Arithmetic. to find the product of by multiplication.
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to breed (animals).
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to propagate (plants).
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to increase by procreation.
verb (used without object)
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to grow in number, quantity, etc.; increase.
- Synonyms:
- mushroom , grow , proliferate
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Arithmetic. to perform the process of multiplication.
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to increase in number by procreation or natural generation.
adverb
verb
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to increase or cause to increase in number, quantity, or degree
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(tr) to combine (two numbers or quantities) by multiplication
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(intr) to increase in number by reproduction
Other Word Forms
- multipliable adjective
- self-multiplied adjective
- self-multiplying adjective
- unmultiplied adjective
- unmultiplying adjective
Etymology
Origin of multiply1
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English multiplien, from Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicāre; multi-, ply 2
Origin of multiply1
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.
Bird flu viruses pose a significant danger to humans because they can continue multiplying at temperatures warmer than a normal fever.
From Science Daily
It is a stunning series whose rewards only multiply the longer you spend with it.
Questions multiplied, but one seemed more elusive than the rest: How did a baby-faced novice from small-town California dupe some of academia’s brightest minds?
These products offer traders the ability to multiply earnings on daily price swings, but they also risk taking heavy losses if the underlying asset swings too far in the wrong direction.
From MarketWatch
Cancer cells fall into this category, yet over time they have developed ways to block ferroptosis so they can continue multiplying even under damaging conditions.
From Science Daily
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.
