Meaning & use
multiple
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Having or involving many parts, or more than one.
Grammar: Comes before a plural noun: multiple errors, not a multiple error.
Patterns
- multiple + plural noun
The patient had multiple injuries after the crash.
She applied for multiple jobs at once.
The device has multiple uses around the home.
nouncountablemathematics
A number that can be divided by another number with nothing left over.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a multiple of five.
Patterns
- a multiple of something
- the lowest common multiple
Fifteen is a multiple of three.
Every multiple of ten ends in zero.
Find the lowest common multiple of four and six.
nouncountablebusiness
A number of times larger than something else, often used for comparing amounts or values.
Grammar: Often used in business: a multiple of earnings.
Patterns
- a multiple of something
The shares sold for a multiple of their original price.
Rents are now a multiple of what they were in 2000.
Investors pay a high multiple of earnings for fast-growing companies.
Word forms
| plural | multiples |
|---|
Common combinations
- multiple choice
- The exam is multiple choice, so guessing is tempting.
- multiple times
- I called her multiple times but she did not answer.
- multiple sclerosis
- Multiple sclerosis is a long-term disease of the nervous system.
- a common multiple
- Twelve is a common multiple of three and four.
- multiple options
- The software offers multiple options for sharing files.
Synonyms and how they differ
- several
- Several means more than two but not very many, whereas multiple only says more than one and may be a large number.
- numerous
- Numerous stresses a large quantity, while multiple stresses variety or more than one.
- many
- Many is everyday and general, and multiple sounds more formal or technical.
- various
- Various suggests different kinds, but multiple does not require that the items differ.
Opposites
Word family
- multiply verb
- to add a number to itself a set number of times, or to increase
- multiplication noun
- the operation of multiplying
- multiplicity noun
- a large number or variety of things
- multiplier noun
- a number by which another is multiplied
Commonly confused: multiple or multiply?
multiple vs multiply
Multiple is a noun or adjective, but multiply is the verb meaning to find a product or to increase in number.
Practice
Twenty-four is a ___ of six.
Choose one answer.
Twenty-four is six times four, so it is a multiple of six. A factor would be the reverse, since six is a factor of twenty-four, and multiply is a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “multiple”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.