From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmultiplymul‧ti‧ply /ˈmʌltəplaɪ/ ●●○ verb (multiplied, multiplying, multiplies) 1 [intransitive, transitive]HM to do a calculation in which you add a number to itself a particular number of times → divide Children will learn to multiply in the second grade.multiply something by something Multiply the total by 12.2 [intransitive, transitive]INCREASE IN NUMBER OR AMOUNT to increase by a large amount or number, or to make something do this The amount of information available has multiplied. Smoking multiplies the risk of heart attacks and other health problems.3 [intransitive] to breed Bacteria multiply quickly in warm food.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
multiply• If the songbird population has thinned, the boats in the cove have multiplied.• Environmental laws have multiplied.• Since they started borrowing money, their problems have multiplied.• 11 multiplied by 10 is 110.• To find the price in yen, you multiply by 86.• Quite so: distance multiplied by force.• The likely total number of dies can then be multiplied by the average number of coins per die.• The number of settlements multiplied enormously.• But the parasite had multiplied explosively in his blood.• The germs multiply quickly in the heat, and can produce food poisoning.• The insects multiply rapidly during hot, dry summers.• If you multiply ten by seven you get seventy.• Associating democracy with fear certainly multiplies the ambiguities and increases the uncertainties.• Computers have multiplied the possibilities open to the artist.• In particular multiplying the wavefunction by - I does not change the physics at all.• The harpies from Paris running the road houses which must inevitably multiply will be a worse scourge than the mosquitoes.multiply something by something• 3 multiplied by 4 is 12.From Longman Business Dictionarymultiplymul‧ti‧ply /ˈmʌltəplaɪ/ verb (past tense and past participle multiplied) [intransitive, transitive]1to increase greatly or to make something increase greatlyProgram-length commercials are multiplying nationwide.This year we hope to multiply exports to about $1.7 million.2to add a number to itself a particular number of timesmultiply something by somethingMultiply your salary by three to get your maximum loan.→ See Verb tableOrigin multiply (1100-1200) Old French multiplier, from Latin multiplicare, from multiplex; → MULTIPLEX 