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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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. 2023

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