mul·ti·ply
ˈməl-tə-ˌplī 
multiplied; multiplying
2
a
: to find the product of by multiplication
multiply 7 and 8
b
: to use as a multiplicand in multiplication with another number
multiply 7 by 8
2
: to perform multiplication
mul·ti·ply
ˈməl-tə-plē
: in a multiple manner : in several ways
multiply talented children
mul·ti-ply
ˌməl-tē-ˈplī
-ˌtī-
: composed of several plies
Synonyms
Examples of multiply in a Sentence
Verb
Complaints about the new procedure soon multiplied.
Her responsibilities multiplied when she was promoted.
Her responsibilities were multiplied by the promotion.
The bacteria multiply rapidly in warm, moist conditions.
The teacher taught the children how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
Recent Examples on the Web
Vera Bergengruen/buenos Aires, TIME, 23 May 2024
Pay an additional $1 to add the Power Play for a chance to multiply all Powerball winnings except for the jackpot.
—Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 21 May 2024
The night shift retail manager bought the tickets for the drive and uncovered the 10x symbol before seeing the $10,000 prize that would be multiplied for his total winnings, officials said.
—Paloma Chavez, Miami Herald, 21 May 2024
The Crochet Tank $78 Lightweight, airy fabrics are a through-line of this collection, and the Crochet Tank and Shorts combo are powerhouse selections for travel days and sightseeing tours as they can be worn together or styled separately, multiplying the possibilities of your wardrobe.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024
Officially recognized racial or ethnic categories are multiplying.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2024
But during a California Coastal Commission hearing Friday, U.S. Space Force officials outlined for the first time its own plans to multiply the number of launches from the base, from 37 in 2023 to more than 120 a year by 2026.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024
But when multiplied by millions of anglers over millions of hours fished, year after year, the lead is piling up.
—John Myers, Twin Cities, 11 May 2024
Pack-years is an estimate of cigarette exposure in a person’s lifetime, calculated by multiplying the total number of years someone has smoked by the average number of packs smoked per day.
—Nina Thomas, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2024
Steve Bender, Southern Living, 15 May 2024
Being multiply indicted costs big bucks (more than $100 million and counting in his case).
—Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
But as loyalty currency has become much more versatile, the reasons for buying it multiply.
—Richard Sine, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Parasites that cause malaria multiply inside of the host’s red blood cells and the G6PD gene codes for an enzyme, which protects red blood cells from damage.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024
While companies established in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Automated Driving (AD) —ZF, Bosch, Continental, Mobileye, Valeo, and others — had a solid showing, the wanna-be suppliers multiply every year.
—Richard Bishop, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
As these doubts and suspicions multiply, all sides will lose the incentive to avoid provocative moves.
—Bonnie S. Glaser, Foreign Affairs, 30 Nov. 2023
Once inside the body, anthrax microbes multiply, produce potent toxins and trigger illness, with the kind of illness depending on how anthrax got into the body.
—Robert Hart, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza as invasion expands, risks multiply
Not long after that exchange, the meeting ended.
—Kevin Sieff, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023
Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Nov. 2023
Founded 99 years ago in the Northern Italian town of Trivero in Piedmont, the brand is a mainstay of wintertime luxury, known for its multi-ply cashmere knitwear, featherweight vicuña scarves and tailored wool overcoats.
—New York Times, 1 May 2023
Verb
So, imagine a 300% gain, which means multiplying by four.
—Vera Bergengruen/buenos Aires, TIME, 23 May 2024
Pay an additional $1 to add the Power Play for a chance to multiply all Powerball winnings except for the jackpot.
—Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 21 May 2024
The night shift retail manager bought the tickets for the drive and uncovered the 10x symbol before seeing the $10,000 prize that would be multiplied for his total winnings, officials said.
—Paloma Chavez, Miami Herald, 21 May 2024
The Crochet Tank $78 Lightweight, airy fabrics are a through-line of this collection, and the Crochet Tank and Shorts combo are powerhouse selections for travel days and sightseeing tours as they can be worn together or styled separately, multiplying the possibilities of your wardrobe.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024
Officially recognized racial or ethnic categories are multiplying.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 3 Apr. 2024
But during a California Coastal Commission hearing Friday, U.S. Space Force officials outlined for the first time its own plans to multiply the number of launches from the base, from 37 in 2023 to more than 120 a year by 2026.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024
But when multiplied by millions of anglers over millions of hours fished, year after year, the lead is piling up.
—John Myers, Twin Cities, 11 May 2024
Pack-years is an estimate of cigarette exposure in a person’s lifetime, calculated by multiplying the total number of years someone has smoked by the average number of packs smoked per day.
—Nina Thomas, Discover Magazine, 9 May 2024
Adverb
Sun Exposure: Full, partial Soil Type: Moist, rich, well-draining
Soil pH: 6.0-7.0
One of those most beautiful and easy bulbs to grow in your garden, daffodils multiply over the years, unlike some other bulbs such as tulips which dwindle in number each season.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 15 May 2024
Being multiply indicted costs big bucks (more than $100 million and counting in his case).
—Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
But as loyalty currency has become much more versatile, the reasons for buying it multiply.
—Richard Sine, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Parasites that cause malaria multiply inside of the host’s red blood cells and the G6PD gene codes for an enzyme, which protects red blood cells from damage.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 27 Feb. 2024
While companies established in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Automated Driving (AD) —ZF, Bosch, Continental, Mobileye, Valeo, and others — had a solid showing, the wanna-be suppliers multiply every year.
—Richard Bishop, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
As these doubts and suspicions multiply, all sides will lose the incentive to avoid provocative moves.
—Bonnie S. Glaser, Foreign Affairs, 30 Nov. 2023
Once inside the body, anthrax microbes multiply, produce potent toxins and trigger illness, with the kind of illness depending on how anthrax got into the body.
—Robert Hart, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023
Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza as invasion expands, risks multiply
Not long after that exchange, the meeting ended.
—Kevin Sieff, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Rolls of hanji in every texture, color and thickness line the walls of the two-story space, ranging from smooth letter-sized pages to premium multi-ply options.
—Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Nov. 2023
Founded 99 years ago in the Northern Italian town of Trivero in Piedmont, the brand is a mainstay of wintertime luxury, known for its multi-ply cashmere knitwear, featherweight vicuña scarves and tailored wool overcoats.
—New York Times, 1 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'multiply.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near multiply
Cite this Entry
“Multiply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multiply. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.
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