multiply
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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multiplies,
present (3rd person singular)
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multiplied,
past participle, past
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multiplying
present participle
-
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)
-
multiplies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
multiplied,
past participle, past
-
multiplying
present participle
-
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
-
has been multiplyingperfect progressive
Past
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multipliedsimple
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had multipliedperfect
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was multiplyingprogressive
-
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:
One you’ve estimated your annual retirement expenses, subtract guaranteed income like Social Security benefits and pensions, and multiply the remaining gap by 25, Gaines said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
She predicted that "stores will multiply initiatives to bring customers in, whether with claw machines or in other forms".
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
When the enzyme's normal function is disrupted, abnormal cells can gain an opportunity to multiply and potentially develop into cancer.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
The problem would multiply if Boulder’s theory were accepted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
He then asked us to give him double-digit numbers up to twenty to multiply in his head.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
The prevailing theory is that the first to achieve AGI will secure a prize that multiplies itself: a self-training, recursively improving intelligence, growing exponentially and leaving all competitors in its wake.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
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
If we truly want to end violence in our communities, we must come to understand, as discussed in the final chapter, the ways in which mass incarceration increases—not decreases—violence and multiplies its harms.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Using an innovative DNA recording technology, the researchers followed how those early cells multiplied, developed specialized roles, and eventually helped form a body with distinct organs and tissues.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Then came Covid-19 and those questions multiplied, said Janine Biscari, vice president for student affairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
In Cibolo, a city north of San Antonio with a population of 36,000, an authority grant multiplied the number of Flock cameras from 11 to 52.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
For an ice cream truck visiting a summer camp, the TAM is all the kids at the camp multiplied by how much ice cream each kid would buy that summer.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
Now that the number of soldiers has multiplied, they wield more power and the chief’s role has been reduced to that of a manager.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
Argan doesn’t hide his motive: to have a physician in the family—or better, two—to treat his multiplying ailments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Meeting his cautious but unwavering gaze, we find the contradictions multiplying.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
The metric is calculated by taking revenue from a short period, such as a month or a quarter, and multiplying it to gauge what a company could earn over a full year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Dormant cells, however, are not actively multiplying, which can make them much harder to eliminate.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
Division by zero should be the opposite of multiplying by zero.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
