What does "multiply" mean?
An act or instance of multiplying.
Multiply
/ˈmʌltɪplaɪ/ adv, noun, verb
adv, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act or instance of multiplying.
- Grammar: multiply is listed as adv, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abound, abound with, accrue, accumulate.
- Useful contrasts: singly, factor, factoring.
- Usage evidence: The only way on Earth to multiply happiness is to divide it.
How to use "multiply"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "multiply" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "multiply" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "multiply" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "multiply" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "multiply" is acting as adv, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abound" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "multiply", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act or instance of multiplying.
"The extended instruction set may double the speed again if a lot of multiplies and divides are done."
Verb
- 1 To increase the amount, degree or number of (something). transitive
"The motives to refuse obedience to government are many and strong ; impunity will multiply and enforce them"
- 2 have offspring or produce more individuals of a given animal or plant wordnet
- 3 To perform multiplication on (a number). transitive
"when you multiply 3 by 7, you get 21; he multiplied several numbers"
- 4 have young (animals) or reproduce (organisms) wordnet
- 5 To grow in number. intransitive
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 combine or increase by multiplication wordnet
- 7 To breed or propagate. intransitive
"[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."
- 8 make multiple copies of wordnet
- 9 To perform multiplication. intransitive
"He had been multiplying, but it occurred to him he needed to resolve the exponents, first."
- 10 combine by multiplication wordnet
- 11 To be a factor in a multiplication with (another factor). rare, transitive
"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."
Adverb
- 1 In many or multiple ways. not-comparable
Adverb
- 1 in several ways; in a multiple manner wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The only way on Earth to multiply happiness is to divide it."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "multiply"?
Common synonyms include: abound, abound with, accrue, accumulate, add, advance.
How do you use "multiply" in a sentence?
The only way on Earth to multiply happiness is to divide it.
How do you pronounce "multiply"?
Pronounced /ˈmʌltɪplaɪ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicō, from multi (“many”) + plicō (“I fold”). The noun presumably derives from the verb.
Etymology 2
From multiple + -ly.