multiply

¹

[ muhl-tuh-plahy ]

verb (used with object)

, mul·ti·plied, mul·ti·ply·ing.

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)

, mul·ti·plied, mul·ti·ply·ing.

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

²

[ muhl-tuh-plee ]

adverb

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

multiply

/ 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

multiply

/ mŭl′tə-plī′ /

1. To perform multiplication on a pair of quantities.

Derived Forms

• ˈmultiˌpliable, adjective

Other Words From

• self-multi·plied adjective
• self-multi·plying adjective
• un·multi·plied adjective
• un·multi·plying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of multiply¹

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

Origin of multiply²

First recorded in 1880–85; multiple + -ly

Word History and Origins

Origin of multiply¹

C13: from Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicāre to multiply, from multus much, many + plicāre to fold

Example Sentences

Kolankiewicz, for one, was fascinated by studies of the carbon legacy of families — the emerging notion that a person’s carbon footprint would multiply through generations and that the best way to reduce emissions was to have one less child.

From Salon

"If you multiply that same problem for planning processes at local authorities, the implications can be huge."

From BBC

Despite this challenge, Thompson has a five-year plan to multiply its annual output of seats.

From BBC

That requires a solver to multiply the number of each item by its price and add them together to determine how much the entire basket costs.

From Los Angeles Times

My daughter is doing some maths revision with me at the moment, working out the area of triangles - you multiply the height by the width, then halve it.

From BBC

Related Words

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