multiply — English Dictionary

Verb

1. To increase the amount, degree or number of (something).

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   The motives to refuse obedience to government are many and strong ; impunity will multiply and enforce them

   More examples (1)

   It would indeed be easy to multiply modern authorities respecting locustal food; one more authority shall suffice, from which it will appear that the Arabs make a sort of locust bread.

2. To perform multiplication on (a number).

   Usage

   • Transitive
   • with by

   Examples

   when you multiply 3 by 7, you get 21; he multiplied several numbers

   More examples (1)

   But that can be ignored, because the USTR has set ε at 4 and φ at 0.25, so when computed give an overall multiplier of 1 for the imports number. And multiplying by 1 makes no difference at all.

3. To grow in number.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   I suspect that cancer doesn't give a rat's ass whether you have a positive mental attitude. It just sits in there multiplying away, whether you are admirably stoic or weeping and wailing.

4. To breed or propagate.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   [The researchers] noticed many of their pieces of [plastic marine] debris sported surface pits around two microns across.[…]Closer examination showed that some of these pits did, indeed, contain bacteria, and that in several cases these bacteria were dividing and thus, by the perverse arithmetic of biological terminology, multiplying.

5. To perform multiplication.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   He had been multiplying, but it occurred to him he needed to resolve the exponents, first.

   I could add and subtract and multiply and divide, but I entered the wilderness when words became equations.

6. To be a factor in a multiplication with (another factor).

   Usage

   • Rare
   • Transitive

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   This follows a similar process, counters having to be removed and replaced at each stage of the remaining part of the calculation except the final one, where 2 multiplies 3 to give 6.

   Of all the possible combinations of factors above, only (2#92;cdot4)#43;(3#92;cdot5)#61;23. Carefully arranging the factors, therefore, to ensure that 2 multiplies 4 and 3 multiplies 5, we have 6x²#43;23x#43;20#61;(2x#43;5)(3x#43;4)

Noun

1. An act or instance of multiplying.

   Examples

   The extended instruction set may double the speed again if a lot of multiplies and divides are done.

   List the number of adds and multiplies for each of the forms (6) , (7), and (8).

Adverb

1. In many or multiple ways.

   Usage

   • not-comparable

Adjective

1. Having more than one ply or layer; multilayered.

   Usage

   • not-comparable

   Examples

   2,751,151. MULTIPLY PAPER SACKS. […] A multiply paper bag […] the plies of the side flaps being stepped longitudinally of the bag […]

Adverb

1. in several ways; in a multiple manner

   Antonyms

   singly

   Examples

   they were multiply checked for errors

Verb

1. combine by multiplication

   Antonyms

   divide

   Broader terms

   calculateciphercyphercomputework outreckonfigure

   Examples

   multiply 10 by 15

2. combine or increase by multiplication

   Synonyms

   manifold

   Broader terms

   increase

   Examples

   He managed to multiply his profits

3. make multiple copies of

   Synonyms

   manifold

   Broader terms

   copyre-createrecreate

   Examples

   multiply a letter

4. have young (animals) or reproduce (organisms)

   Synonyms

   breed

   Broader terms

   reproduceprocreate

   Examples

   pandas rarely breed in captivity

5. have offspring or produce more individuals of a given animal or plant

   Synonyms

   reproduceprocreate

   Broader terms

   makecreate

   Examples

   The Bible tells people to procreate

   These bacteria reproduce