# multiple

Pronunciation: US say "MUL-ti-puhl" /ˈmʌltɪpəl/; UK

## Determiner

1. More than one, used before a plural noun.
   - Simple: More than one, used before a word that names several things.
   - _Multiple sources confirmed the same story._
   - _The company ships to multiple countries every week._

## Adjective

2. Having more than one part, component, or function, or occurring more than once.
   - Simple: Having more than one part or use, or happening more than once.
   - _She is a multiple Olympic champion in the 400-meter hurdles._
   - _A multiple pregnancy needs closer care from doctors than a single one._

## Noun

3. A whole number produced by multiplying a given whole number by another whole number.
   - Simple: A number you get when you multiply one whole number by another.
   - _Every multiple of ten ends in a zero._
   - _She listed the first ten multiples of seven._
4. One of a group of siblings produced by a single multiple birth, such as a twin or triplet.
   - Simple: One of two or more babies born to the same mother at the same time.
   - _Because twins and triplets are often born early, doctors watch each multiple closely after delivery._
   - _Parents of multiples often buy two of everything at once._
5. One of several identical copies of the same item; a duplicate.
   - Simple: One of several copies of exactly the same thing.
   - _The museum bought one multiple from an edition of twenty identical bronze casts._
   - _Some artists make multiples so that people on modest budgets can own an identical copy of their work._
6. The price-earnings ratio of a company; its share price divided by earnings per share.
   - Simple: A number that compares a company's share price with how much it earns for each share.
   - _Tech firms often command a higher multiple than utility companies._
   - _Analysts compared the multiples of several competing retailers._
7. A retail chain with many branches under common ownership, or one of its stores.
   - Simple: A company that owns many shops of the same kind, or one of those shops.
   - _The grocery multiple announced plans for fifty new branches._
   - _Independent bookshops often struggle once a large multiple opens a branch in the same town._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Showing more than one distinct personality or self within one body, or experiencing oneself in this way.
- (noun) A single person who displays or experiences several distinct personalities or selves.
- (noun) An arrangement of two or more piercings in a single ear.
- (noun) A discovery or invention made independently by two or more people or groups, often at about the same time.

## Origin

From French multiple, which comes from Late Latin multiplus.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/multiple (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).