multiply
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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
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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:
Boeing's MQ-28 Ghost Bat is an uncrewed aircraft, developed with the Royal Australian Air Force, to fly alongside crewed fighter jets carrying out electronic warfare and surveillance and to help multiply forces.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Leveraged ETFs designed to multiply gains on the stock are deeply in the red.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
At the same time, protein clumps that build up in the brain trigger microglia to multiply and respond.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026
Perhaps you can see how the metaphors between the backrooms and the internet itself multiply from here: Like the backrooms, one can lose oneself forever in the internet.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026
He had watched Miss K multiply by writing squiggles with chalk on the blackboard.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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
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
JON LEVY: A glue player is the team member who multiplies everyone else’s results, helping the team win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2025
Hunt is home to just over 1,300 people, but when summer comes around, the small city’s population multiplies because of young campers.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2025
Ebola attacks connective tissue with particular ferocity; it multiplies in collagen, the chief constituent protein of the tissue that holds the organs together.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
A Niçoise salad is a meal in itself that can be prepped ahead of time, and multiplied to feed many.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Rumors have been rampant for weeks over the couple's wedding, with no official confirmation, but clues have multiplied around Madison Square Garden.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Viruses multiplied more rapidly, the animals failed to properly activate their antiviral defenses, and their ability to fight infection dropped dramatically.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 30, 2026
This is multiplied many times over throughout defense spending and dealing with climate change.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
The flow of time is multiplied by zero.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Sandbanks are multiplying, depths fall to barely one meter in places, and the river's few remaining fishermen swelter in the heat.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Down and down they went, their buffer all but removed, their obsession about results elsewhere in the coming days multiplying as they went.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
But the factors keeping budget travelers away are multiplying.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
To distribute the funds, each child’s amount is calculated by multiplying the fund’s value by their share of units.
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
Now imagine multiplying those students by the thousands.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
