multiply
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to add a number to itself a specific number of times.
v.to perform the mathematical operation of multiplication. Often used with the preposition 'by'.
Simple“If you multiply three by five, the answer is fifteen.”
In context“Students are expected to multiply multi-digit integers without the aid of a calculator by the end of the semester.”
PitfallIf you multiply 5 with 4, you get 20. If you multiply 5 by 4, you get 20.In mathematics, use the preposition 'by' after the verb multiply.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to increase greatly in number or amount.
v.to increase significantly in quantity or intensity. Often used intransitively to describe rapid growth.
Simple“Complaints from customers began to multiply after the price increase.”
In context“As the economic crisis deepened, the challenges facing the small business community continued to multiply at an alarming rate.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to produce many young animals or plants.
v.to breed or propagate offspring, typically in large numbers.
Simple“Bacteria can multiply very quickly in warm conditions.”
In context“Under ideal laboratory conditions, the virus can multiply within the host cells in a matter of hours.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
adv.in many different ways or in multiple places.
adv.in a multiple manner; in many ways or parts.
Simple“The author is multiply talented, working as a writer, painter, and musician.”
In context“The study suggests that the protein is multiply regulated by several distinct cellular pathways simultaneously.”
SynonymsAntonyms
“Near melting sea ice, sunlight reacts with chemicals released by the ocean, algae, and ice, causing cloud-seeding particles to multiply by as much as 50 times in a day.”
“If there is more than one number per cell you multiply them, and if there are no numbers, you put a 1.”
From Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicō, from multi (“many”) + plicō (“to fold”). The noun presumably derives from the verb.
From multiple + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.