multiple
Noun pluralmultiples
Pluralmultiples
- 1
- 2Having more than one part or use, or happening more than once.
Like a key ring that holds several keys instead of just one.
Our small hospital sees a multiple birth almost every week.
He is a multiple winner of the town's chili contest.
UsageIt can go with a single noun: a multiple birth, a multiple winner.
Oppositesingle
Note
- 3A number you get when you multiply one whole number by another.
Like evenly spaced fence posts: 5, 10, 15, and so on.
The number 12 is a multiple of 4.
Count by fives to reach each multiple of five.
UsageSay a multiple of a number: 12 is a multiple of 4, and 4 is a factor of 12.
Note
Less common meanings
- 4One of two or more babies born to the same mother at the same time.
As a multiple, she always shared a birthday with her sister.
The doctor told her she was expecting multiples, not just one baby.
UsageUsually plural: parents of multiples, expecting multiples.
- 5One of several copies of exactly the same thing.
Like having two of the same trading card: one to keep and one to swap.
The artist signed each multiple, and all fifty look exactly the same.
You can buy one of the artist's multiples for much less than a painting.
UsageMostly used for art made in copies. For other things, say copy.
Oppositeoriginal
Note
- 6A number that compares a company's share price with how much it earns for each share.
Like a price tag showing how much people will pay for each dollar a company earns.
The stock traded at a multiple of fifteen.
Investors felt the multiple was too high to justify buying.
UsagePeople say a high multiple or a low multiple.
Note
- 7A company that owns many shops of the same kind, or one of those shops.
Like one of the same-name coffee shops you see in every city.
A new multiple opened where the old bakery used to be.
The main street is full of multiples these days.
UsageOften the multiples: all the big chain shops together.
Similarchain
Oppositeindependent
Note
- 8Describing a person who has two or more separate selves in one body.
- 9A person who has more than one personality or self within them.
- 10Two or more piercings worn in a single ear.
First of all, the 'greenhorn' stigma of piercing has worn off. The older woman sees her daughter wearing multiples. So she's confident enough to have her ears pierced at least once.
1976, Jewelers' Circular/Keystone, numbers 1-6 - 11A discovery made separately by two or more people, often at about the same time.
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Practice
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Origin
From French multiple, from Late Latin multiplus.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- English multiple comes from French multiple. en.wiktionary.org
- French multiple comes from Late Latin multiplus. en.wiktionary.org