multiply

1
[ muhl-tuh-plahy ]
See synonyms for multiply on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. to breed (animals).

  2. to propagate (plants).

  3. to increase by procreation.

verb (used without object),mul·ti·plied, mul·ti·ply·ing.
  1. to grow in number, quantity, etc.; increase.

  2. Arithmetic. to perform the process of multiplication.

  1. to increase in number by procreation or natural generation.

Origin of multiply

1
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English multiplien, from Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicāre; see multi-, ply2

Other words for multiply

Other words from multiply

  • self-mul·ti·plied, adjective
  • self-mul·ti·ply·ing, adjective
  • un·mul·ti·plied, adjective
  • un·mul·ti·ply·ing, adjective

Other definitions for multiply (2 of 3)

multiply2
[ muhl-tuh-plee ]

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

Origin of multiply

2
First recorded in 1880–85; multiple + -ly

Other definitions for multi-ply (3 of 3)

multi-ply
[ muhl-tee-plahy, muhl-tahy- ]

adjective
  1. having or composed of several plies: a multi-ply fabric.

Origin of multi-ply

3
First recorded in 1935–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use multiply in a sentence

  • The registrars will, in that event, ensure the moral growth of existing societies before multiplying them.

  • A man who has hitherto been known as an accurate mathematician, makes frequent mistakes in adding or multiplying.

  • This is identical with Mirabeau's principle of the multiplying of rats in a barn.

  • Not least among the multiplying symptoms of social ill health in this country is the undue growth of cities.

    The Old World in the New | Edward Alsworth Ross
  • This multiplying is accomplished by winding the wire into a compact coil and passing a current through it.

    Steam Steel and Electricity | James W. Steele

British Dictionary definitions for multiply

multiply

/ (ˈmʌltɪˌplaɪ) /


verb-plies, -plying or -plied
  1. to increase or cause to increase in number, quantity, or degree

  2. (tr) to combine (two numbers or quantities) by multiplication

  1. (intr) to increase in number by reproduction

Origin of multiply

1
C13: from Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicāre to multiply, from multus much, many + plicāre to fold

Derived forms of multiply

  • multipliable or multiplicable, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for multiply

multiply

[ mŭltə-plī′ ]


  1. To perform multiplication on a pair of quantities.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.