Meaning & use
multiplex
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Meanings
nouncountable
A large cinema building with several separate screens showing different films at the same time.
Grammar: Countable: a multiplex, two multiplexes.
Patterns
- a multiplex cinema
- go to the multiplex
We watched the new comedy at the multiplex because it has ten screens.
The old single-screen theater closed, and a multiplex opened just outside town.
Multiplexes often have food courts and arcades to keep people entertained.
verbtransitivetechnical
To combine several signals or data streams so they can travel together on one channel.
Grammar: Takes an object: multiplex the signals.
Patterns
- multiplex signals
- multiplex data
Engineers multiplex the audio and video signals before sending them over the cable.
The system multiplexes thousands of phone calls onto a single fiber-optic line.
To save bandwidth, the software multiplexes several video streams into one.
Word forms
| plural | multiplexes |
|---|---|
| third person singular | multiplexes |
| past tense | multiplexed |
| past participle | multiplexed |
| -ing form | multiplexing |
Common combinations
- multiplex cinema
- The multiplex cinema has fourteen screens and an IMAX theater.
- multiplex signals
- The device multiplexes signals from different sources.
- multiplex data
- We need to multiplex the data to reduce transmission costs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cineplex
- A chiefly North American term for a multiplex cinema; it means the same but is less common in British English.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'multiplex' correctly as a noun?
Choose one answer.
As a noun, 'multiplex' refers to a cinema complex, so 'The multiplex has twelve screens' is correct. Option A uses it as a verb (multiplexed a movie) which is not standard; option C is a verb use (multiplex signals) but not a noun; option D incorrectly uses it as an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “multiplex”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.