multiplier

American  

[muhl-tuh-plahy-er] / ˈmʌl təˌplaɪ ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that multiplies.

2. Arithmetic. a number by which another is multiplied. multiply.

3. Physics. a device for intensifying some effect.

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multiplier British  

/ ˈmʌltɪˌplaɪə /

noun

1. a person or thing that multiplies

2. the number by which another number, the multiplicand, is multiplied See also multiplicand

3. physics any device or instrument, such as a photomultiplier, for increasing an effect

4. economics

   1. the ratio of the total change in income (resulting from successive rounds of spending) to an initial autonomous change in expenditure

   2. ( as modifier )

      multiplier effects

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multiplier Scientific  

/ mŭl′tə-plī′ər /

1. The number by which another number is multiplied.

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Etymology

Origin of multiplier

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; multiply ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Online sportsbooks are now poised to be to modern gambling what drones are to warfare — a remarkable, unchecked multiplier of pain and gain.

From Salon

“The high multiplier manufacturing sector dropped 68,000 jobs in 2025, with eight consecutive declines in the second half of the year,” he writes.

From MarketWatch

He tends to see allies as grasping dependents rather than force multipliers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tattered spy novels, texts on information theory and binary multipliers, and an old Polish-English dictionary.

From Literature

Business rates are calculated by combining the rateable value of a business with a percentage 'multiplier'.

From BBC