multiple

[ muhl-tuh-puhl ]

/ ˈmʌl tə pəl /

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See synonyms for multiple on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

Electricity.

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

Botany. (of a fruit) collective.

noun

Mathematics. a number that contains another number an integral number of times without a remainder: 12 is a multiple of 3.

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.

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Origin of multiple

1570–80; <French <Late Latin multiplus manifold. See multi-, duple

OTHER WORDS FROM multiple

non·mul·ti·ple, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use multiple in a sentence

It effortlessly combined a catchy tune, an emotional arc and a surprisingly easy way to remember multiples of three.
Schoolhouse Rock: A Trojan Horse of Knowledge and Power|Jason Lynch|September 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While none of the cars have seen full-blown production, a few have been created in multiples.
Dreaming Up the Cars of the Future|Justin Jones|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And I got to kiss Patrick and Keanu multiples times every day!
Lori Petty on ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ the Halcyon ‘90s, and Discovering Jennifer Lawrence|Marlow Stern|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The response surely would have been many multiples of that if, like Colbert, he had been on Twitter.
‘Et Tu, Stephen.’ Colbert Engulfed in Twitter Firestorm|Lloyd Grove|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

More Americans suffered violent deaths in Iraq than did on 9/11, and multiples more were scarred for life.
The Lessons of 9/11|Richard A. Clarke|September 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It will thus be understood why discord in music is not pleasant to the ear, as the vibrations are not in the proper multiples.
Practical Mechanics for Boys|J. S. Zerbe
It will be observed that an appeal was an expensive process; that advocates' fees were expressed in guineas, multiples of £1.
Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period|Various
If something wider than this is needed, cast on multiples of 27, with an extra 10 stitches.
Needlework Economies|Various
If all the freight might be expressed in even multiples of cars the problem would not be quite so appalling.
The Modern Railroad|Edward Hungerford
In the matter of fixed charges the penny you save on the unit assumes vast proportions in the many multiples.
Dollars and Sense|Col. Wm. C. Hunter

British Dictionary definitions for multiple

multiple

/ (ˈmʌltɪpəl) /

adjective

having or involving more than one part, individual, etche had multiple injuries

electronics, US and Canadian (of a circuit) having a number of conductors in parallel

noun

the product of a given number or polynomial and any other one6 is a multiple of 2

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

short for multiple store

Derived forms of multiple

multiply, adverb

Word Origin for multiple

C17: via French from Late Latin multiplus, from Latin multiplex

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