multiply
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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multiplies,
present (3rd person singular)
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multiplied,
past participle, past
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multiplying
present participle
-
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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multiplies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
multiplied,
past participle, past
-
multiplying
present participle
-
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
Derived Forms
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multipliableadjective
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self-multipliedadjective
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self-multiplyingadjective
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unmultipliedadjective
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unmultiplyingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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multiplysimple
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multipliessimple
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have multipliedperfect
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has multipliedperfect
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am multiplyingprogressive
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are multiplyingprogressive
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is multiplyingprogressive
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have been multiplyingperfect progressive
-
has been multiplyingperfect progressive
Past
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multipliedsimple
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had multipliedperfect
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was multiplyingprogressive
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were multiplyingprogressive
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had been multiplyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of multiply1
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English multiplien, from Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicāre; see multi-, ply 2
Origin of multiply2
Explanation
When you multiply two numbers, you increase the first by the same number that's specified by the second. In other words, when you multiply two by three, you add together three twos. When you're doing simple math problems, you can multiply by memorizing lists of times tables — or you can add one number as many times as the second number: four times two is the same as two fours, or eight. Another way to multiply is simply to increase or expand greatly: "If the diner starts serving homemade pie, their profits will multiply." The Latin root is multiplicare, "to increase," from multiplex, "having many folds."
Vocabulary lists containing multiply
Ratios and Proportional Relationships
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Number and Operations: Fractions
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Operations and Algebraic Thinking
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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.
See Examples For:
This can be on the bowel or in the lungs - and the cells multiply, creating raw and angry sores.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Cells need to multiply enough to replace what was lost, but that growth must eventually stop.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
U.S. crude prices have jumped 19% in the past three weeks to trade near $101 a barrel as attacks in the Middle East multiply.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Meanwhile, just seconds after it launched, $LAPTOP earned enough trading volume to see its valuation multiply exponentially, shooting up from $37 to over $200.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
Also of exceptional general interest was a series of tricks whereby Dad could multiply large numbers in his head, without using pencil and paper.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
The U.S. skilled workforce is aging fast, while demand for workers in the trades multiplies quickly because of surging data center demand and investment in advanced manufacturing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Datadog, down 25%, and Snowflake, down 41%, are in this group, too, although they’re younger companies trading at high multiplies of earnings.
From Barron's ● Apr. 16, 2026
It then multiplies that by the estimated average number of people in a household.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025
Each reuse multiplies the value of the original dataset, ensuring that no discovery is wasted, every contribution can spark the next breakthrough, and researchers gain recognition for their work.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2025
As you proceed from one level to the next, the tunnels take on gradually more complex geometric shapes, and the number of enemies and obstacles crawling up toward you multiplies drastically.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
While Armani already used these luminous touches in his eveningwear, Silvana Armani has multiplied them to emphasise the fluidity and lightness of her silhouettes.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
In Cibolo, a city north of San Antonio with a population of 36,000, an authority grant multiplied the number of Flock cameras from 11 to 52.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
For an ice cream truck visiting a summer camp, the TAM is all the kids at the camp multiplied by how much ice cream each kid would buy that summer.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
He multiplied his connections and clandestine means of access.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
This highly refined coordination and cooperation must be multiplied out across eight individuals of varying statures and physiques to make the most of each individual’s strengths.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
When these genes are altered, cells can begin multiplying uncontrollably.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
After multiplying, the cells normally reverse that process and become mature, fully functioning liver cells again.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
It might not be accurate, but it is close enough that people can apply their situation to it by multiplying up or down.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Pricey options to escape airport hordes and hassles are multiplying as affluent travelers seek more comfort and less friction without shelling out for a private jet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Silence had hovered over my head, beauty multiplying in the air, the trees so transparent I felt I could see through to something pure inside them.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
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.
