Meaning & use
multiplayer
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Made so that several people can play at the same time, usually over the internet.
Grammar: Sits before a noun: a multiplayer game, a multiplayer mode. It is not used after the verb be in careful writing.
Patterns
- a multiplayer game
- multiplayer mode
- play in multiplayer mode
We spent the whole evening in a multiplayer game with friends in other cities.
The new version adds a multiplayer mode for up to eight players.
She prefers multiplayer games because she likes talking to people while she plays.
noununcountableinformal
A way of playing a game in which several people take part at the same time.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural, mostly in informal speech: I played multiplayer all night.
Patterns
- play multiplayer
- a game of multiplayer
- multiplayer with someone
Do you want to play multiplayer or just practice alone?
Multiplayer with strangers can be frustrating if your team doesn't talk.
He only plays multiplayer, never the single-player story.
Common combinations
- multiplayer game
- This multiplayer game lets you team up with players from all over the world.
- multiplayer mode
- Open the menu and choose multiplayer mode.
- online multiplayer
- Online multiplayer needs a stable internet connection.
- local multiplayer
- Local multiplayer means everyone shares one screen.
- multiplayer session
- The multiplayer session ended when the host left.
Synonyms and how they differ
- co-op
- Co-op describes multiplayer play where players work together as a team, so it is narrower than multiplayer, which also includes playing against each other.
- networked
- Networked only says the game is connected by a network; it does not promise that several people play at once.
Opposites
Word family
- player noun
- a person who takes part in a game
- multiplayer noun
- the mode of play itself, used informally
- multiply verb
- to increase in number, sharing the multi- element but not the meaning
Commonly confused: multiplayer or multiple players?
multiplayer vs multiple players
Write the compound as one word before a noun: a multiplayer game, not 'a multiple players game'. 'Multiple players' is a plain phrase meaning several players.
Practice
Which sentence uses multiplayer correctly?
Choose one answer.
As an adjective, multiplayer comes directly before the noun it describes: a multiplayer mode. Options 1 and 3 put it in the wrong position, and option 2 wrongly treats it as a countable noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “multiplayer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.