multiplication
Americannoun
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the act or process of multiplying or the state of being multiplied.
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Arithmetic. a mathematical operation, symbolized by a × b, a ⋅ b, a ∗ b, or ab, and signifying, when a and b are positive integers, that a is to be added to itself as many times as there are units in b; the addition of a number to itself as often as is indicated by another number, as in 2×3 or 5×10.
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Mathematics. any generalization of this operation applicable to numbers other than integers, as fractions or irrational numbers.
noun
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an arithmetical operation, defined initially in terms of repeated addition, usually written a × b, a.b, or ab, by which the product of two quantities is calculated: to multiply a by positive integral b is to add a to itself b times. Multiplication by fractions can then be defined in the light of the associative and commutative properties; multiplication by 1/ n is equivalent to multiplication by 1 followed by division by n: for example 0.3 × 0.7 = 0.3 × 7/ 10 = (0.3 × 7)/10 = 2 1/ 10 = 0.21
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the act of multiplying or state of being multiplied
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the act or process in animals, plants, or people of reproducing or breeding
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A mathematical operation performed on a pair of numbers in order to derive a third number called a product. For positive integers, multiplication consists of adding a number (the multiplicand) to itself a specified number of times. Thus multiplying 6 by 3 means adding 6 to itself three times. The operation of multiplication is extended to other real numbers according to the rules governing the multiplicative properties of positive integers.
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Any of certain analogous operations involving mathematical objects other than numbers.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonmultiplicationnoun
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overmultiplicationnoun
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remultiplicationnoun
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multiplicationaladjective
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nonmultiplicationaladjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of multiplication
1350–1400; Middle English multiplicacio ( u ) n < Latin multiplicātiōn- (stem of multiplicātiō ). See multi-, plication
Explanation
In math, multiplication is when you add a number to itself a certain number of times. The multiplication of 3 times 2 gives you an answer of 6. if you put two bunnies in a cage and end up with six, that's a different type of multiplication. Multiplication falls under the mathematical category of arithmetic, and it's usually taught after addition and subtraction. When you memorize your times tables in school, you're learning multiplication. In science, the word multiplication is sometimes used to talk about the increase of an organism through generations of reproducing, like the multiplication of a farmer's sheep flock as more lambs are born. The Latin root word is multiplicare, "to increase."
Vocabulary lists containing multiplication
Arithmetic
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The Number System
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The Number System
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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:
Many AI systems rely heavily on matrix multiplication, a mathematical operation used in tasks like image recognition and language processing.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 7, 2026
“To have a really good organization, everyone has to be united in what they want, and each person has to contribute. It’s kind of like multiplication rather than addition.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
No one can disagree with Mr. Warsh on the Fed’s mission creep and on the multiplication of inconsistent objectives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
Try jotting down three fractions separated by multiplication signs: earnings/sales x sales/assets x assets/equity.
From Barron's ● Dec. 26, 2025
“To my troika of Incorrigibles, the three cleverest pupils any governess could wish for. How go the multiplication tables?”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Today they perform hundreds of septillions of matrix multiplications to power leading large language models.
From MarketWatch ● May 23, 2026
If future hardware is designed specifically for one-bit models, it will eliminate the need for complex mathematical multiplications altogether, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Despite repeated multiplications of the official minimum wage earned by millions of Venezuelans, it still amounts to about $2 — not even enough to buy a kilogram of chicken.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 11, 2021
In 1946, the world’s first computer, which weighed over 25 tons, could perform 385 multiplications per second.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2012
In World War II, an extraordinary calculating machine commissioned by the U.S. military, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, could, each second, perform around 350 multiplications or 5,000 simple additions.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
