multiply
/'mʌltiplai/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To increase greatly in number or quantity: To cause something to become more numerous or to grow in number.
- To perform the mathematical operation of multiplication: To combine numbers by adding one number to itself a specified number of times.
- (Biology) To reproduce or breed: To produce offspring or new individuals.
Usage
- As a verb meaning "to increase": Often used with objects or abstract concepts like profits, problems, or efforts. It implies a rapid or significant increase.
- As a verb meaning "to perform multiplication": Used in mathematical contexts. The structure is typically "multiply A by B."
- As a verb meaning "to reproduce": Used in biological contexts for animals, plants, or cells.
Examples
- To increase:
- Failing to address the issue now will only multiply our difficulties later.
- The company found a way to multiply its revenue within a year.
- Mathematical operation:
- To find the area, multiply the length by the width.
- If you multiply six by seven, you get forty-two.
- To reproduce:
- Certain bacteria can multiply very quickly under ideal conditions.
- The goal of the wildlife program is to help the endangered species multiply.
Advanced Usage
- "Multiply" as an adverb: In formal or technical writing, "multiply" can function as an adverb meaning "in several ways" or "in many respects." This usage is less common.
- The data was multiply verified by independent teams.
- He is a multiply talented artist, skilled in painting, sculpture, and music.
Variants and Related Words
- Multiplier (noun): A number by which another number is multiplied; a factor that increases something.
- The tax cut acted as an economic multiplier.
- Multiplication (noun): The process or act of multiplying.
- The multiplication of cells is a fundamental biological process.
- Children learn basic multiplication in third grade.
Synonyms
- Increase: To become or make greater in number, size, or degree.
- Reproduce: To produce offspring or to make a copy of something.
- Propagate: To breed or cause to spread and increase in number.
Antonyms
- Divide: To separate into parts; in mathematics, to perform the operation inverse to multiplication.
- Decrease: To become or make smaller or fewer in size, amount, or intensity.
Related Phrases
- Multiply out (Mathematics): To expand an algebraic expression by multiplication.
- The next step is to multiply out the terms in the brackets.
- Multiply by a factor of: To increase by a specific multiple.
- Demand multiplied by a factor of ten during the holiday season.
Adverb
- in several ways; in a multiple manner
- they were multiply checked for errors
Verb
- have offspring or produce more individuals of a given animal or plant
- The Bible tells people to procreate
- have young (animals) or reproduce (organisms)
- pandas rarely breed in captivity
- These bacteria reproduce
- combine or increase by multiplication
- He managed to multiply his profits
- combine by multiplication
- multiply 10 by 15