quadruple

American  

[kwo-droo-puhl, -druhp-uhl, kwod-roo-puhl] / kwɒˈdru pəl, -ˈdrʌp əl, ˈkwɒd rʊ pəl /

adjective

1. fourfold; consisting of four parts.

   a quadruple alliance.

2. four times as great.

3. Music. having four beats to a measure.

---

noun

1. a number, amount, etc., four times as great as another.

2. something, as a series of acrobatic somersaults, made up of four clearly defined parts or stages.

   the first trapeze artist to perform a quadruple successfully.

verb (used with or without object)

quadruples, present (3rd person singular) quadrupled, past participle, past quadrupling present participle

1. to make or become four times as great.

   To serve 24 people, quadruple the recipe. My savings quadrupled in 20 years.

quadruple British  

/ kwɒˈdruːpəl, ˈkwɒdrʊpəl /

verb

1. to multiply by four or increase fourfold

---

adjective

1. four times as much or as many; fourfold

2. consisting of four parts

noun

1. a quantity or number four times as great as another

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• quadrupleness
  noun
• quadruply
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• quadrupling
  present
• quadrupled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• quadruple
  simple
• quadruples
  simple
• have quadrupled
  perfect
• has quadrupled
  perfect
• am quadrupling
  progressive
• are quadrupling
  progressive
• is quadrupling
  progressive
• have been quadrupling
  perfect progressive
• has been quadrupling
  perfect progressive

Past

• quadrupled
  simple
• had quadrupled
  perfect
• was quadrupling
  progressive
• were quadrupling
  progressive
• had been quadrupling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will quadruple
  simple
• will have quadrupled
  perfect
• will be quadrupling
  progressive
• will have been quadrupling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of quadruple

1325–75; Middle English < Latin quadruplus; cf. quadru-, duple

Explanation

When something is made up of four parts, you can describe it using the adjective quadruple, like a young gymnast's quadruple somersault. A common use of quadruple is in the medical term "quadruple bypass," which is a type of heart surgery that involves all four chambers of the patient's heart. You can also use quadruple to mean "four times as many," as when you order a quadruple-shot latte, with four shots of espresso. The Latin root word quadruplare, "make fourfold," comes from the suffix quadri-, or "four."

Example Sentences

Managing to quadruple revenue with gross margins of 85% is a rare feat.

From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026

“If we quadruple a missile, we’ve got to quadruple the cases. We’ve got to quadruple the igniters, valves, the throttles. It’s a great opportunity.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

This June’s expiration is what’s known as quadruple witching, when contracts for stock options, index options, index futures and single-stock futures expire simultaneously.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026

It led to his retirement and an emergency quadruple bypass surgery, which he said he was "very lucky to survive".

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Triple, quadruple, etc. sharps and flats are rare, but follow the same pattern: every sharp or flat raises or lowers the pitch one more half step.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones