multiple

American  

[muhl-tuh-puhl] / ˈmʌl tə pəl /

adjective

1. consisting of, having, or involving several or many individuals, parts, elements, relations, etc.; manifold.

2. Electricity.

   1. (of circuits) arranged in parallel.

   2. (of a circuit or circuits) having a number of points at which connection can be made.

3. Botany. (of a fruit) collective.

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noun

• multiples
  plural

1. Mathematics. a number that contains another number an integral number of times without a remainder.

   12 is a multiple of 3.

2. Electricity. a group of terminals arranged to make a circuit or group of circuits accessible at a number of points at any one of which connection can be made.

multiple British  

/ ˈmʌltɪpəl /

adjective

1. having or involving more than one part, individual, etc

   he had multiple injuries

2. electronics (of a circuit) having a number of conductors in parallel

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noun

1. the product of a given number or polynomial and any other one

   6 is a multiple of 2

2. telephony an electrical circuit accessible at a number of points to any one of which a connection can be made

3. short for multiple store

multiple Scientific  

/ mŭl′tə-pəl /

1. A number that may be divided by another number with no remainder. For example, 4, 10, and 32 are multiples of 2.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonmultiple
  adjective
• multiply
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• multiples
  plural

Etymology

Origin of multiple

First recorded in 1570–80; from French, from Late Latin multiplus “manifold”; see multi-

Explanation

When you're talking about more than one, you're talking about multiple things. A machine with many fixtures has multiple parts. A person that seems like two totally different people on different days might have multiple personalities. The word multiple comes from the Latin multiplus meaning "manifold." When something exists in multiple forms, it's manifold, or has many kinds. Think of a multiplex theater that can show multiple movies at once. Walk through a garden full of flowers and you'll see multiple kinds of blooms. A multiple is also a number that can be divided into another number without a remainder. Multiples of five, for example are ten, fifteen, twenty... — you get the picture.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

multiple multiples

On Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Los Angeles was forecasting elevated surf and strong rip currents at beaches this weekend and into next week as a result of multiple southerly swells.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Littlejohns also points out that multiple data streams can be transmitted down the same channel to create more capacity.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The aviation pressure already is starting to bite, with multiple flight disruptions across the region’s trading partners with Iran on Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

While my fiancé works multiple part-time jobs following a layoff in March, I’ve temporarily taken on a $2,250 share of our nearly $4,000 rent.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

“By our calculations, the United States would have divided up into multiple territories, similar to Europe today. Can anyone tell me why that would have been disastrous?”

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Tighter monetary policy could weigh on valuations, particularly for stocks trading at high multiples, although a stronger dollar could support earnings at export-oriented companies with dollar-denominated revenue, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Furthermore, because earnings growth in the sector is so strong, it’s outpacing share-price appreciation, meaning that stocks are actually seeing smaller price-to-earnings multiples.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Thoma was one of many private-equity firms that paid sizable multiples for companies at the height of the market in 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

There are still opportunities because valuation multiples have actually gone down even as earnings expectations have gone up.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

“They were putting on bets that were multiples of the capital they had,” said the young Deutsche Bank broker.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• different
• numerous
• various