multiple

adjective

mul·ti·ple | \ ˈməl-tə-pəl

Definition of multiple

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : consisting of, including, or involving more than one multiple births multiple choices

2 : many, manifold multiple achievements He suffered multiple injuries in the accident.

3 : shared by many multiple ownership

4 : having numerous aspects or functions : various life is very multiple; full of movements, facts, and news— John Galsworthy

5 : being a group of terminals (see terminal entry 2 sense 3) which make a circuit available at a number of points

6 : formed by coalescence of the ripening ovaries (see ovary sense 2) of several flowers a multiple fruit

multiple

noun

Definition of multiple (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : the product of a quantity by an integer 35 is a multiple of 7

b : something in units of more than one or two

2 : parallel sense 4b

3 chiefly British : chain store

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about multiple

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Examples of multiple in a Sentence

Adjective

She made multiple copies of the report. a person of multiple achievements He suffered multiple injuries in the accident.

Noun

35 is a multiple of 7. 12 is a multiple of 6.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

During the event, top 3 finalists Laine, Alejandro Aranda, and Madison VanDenburg took the stage multiple times and performed a few duets with some famous faces. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'American Idol' Judge Luke Bryan's Reaction to Carrie Underwood's Finale Performance Is Everything," 20 May 2019 Archie stayed in town after graduation and is a local community leader, running his gym and multiple community centers. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "5 "Riverdale" Season 4 Theories That Will Keep You Up At Night," 16 May 2019 The sisters have spawned multiple successful beauty empires in Kylie Cosmetics and KKW Beauty, Khloé Kardashian is chugging away with Good American, Kourtney Kardashian just got Poosh off the ground... — Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, "Kendall Jenner Filed a Trademark and Is Reportedly Launching Her Own Beauty Brand," 10 May 2019 There was Lady Gaga, the night's co-chair, with her multiple outfit changes; Katy Perry, cosplaying as a chandelier; oh, and Zendaya, who decided to show up to the red carpet as Cinderella. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Zendaya Dressed Up as Literal Cinderella at the Met Gala," 7 May 2019 Jonas and Chopra's wedding in India featured two ceremonies, countless events, and dinner receptions in a multiple cities. — Carrie Goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Sophie Turner Wore a Jumpsuit for Her Las Vegas Wedding to Joe Jonas Last Night," 2 May 2019 But according to multiple royal reporters, baby Sussex has not arrived yet, and the Palace will notify the press when Meghan goes into labor, if at all possible. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "When Meghan Markle Is in Labor with the Royal Baby There Will Reportedly Be an Announcement From the Palace," 2 May 2019 Tyson has not responded to multiple requests for comment by Vox. — Anna North, Vox, "The sexual misconduct allegations against Neil deGrasse Tyson, explained," 15 Mar. 2019 Several labor organizers and student activists in multiple cities either have disappeared or been taken into police custody in recent days, in what some observers described as a sign authorities are on edge. — Rob Taylor, WSJ, "Australia Probes China’s Detention of Australian-Chinese Writer," 23 Jan. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There’s multiple stab wounds to the skin, there’s multiple trauma. — Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, "8 Things You Should Definitely Know Before You Get Your First Tattoo," 31 Oct. 2018 The multiple alleged offenses included violence, interfering in the exercise of public office and the unauthorized public display of official insignia. — Fox News, "Aide to French president Macron hit with initial charges in May Day protester assault," 22 July 2018 That compares to a multiple of roughly 12 times Ebitda on Fiserv’s acquisition of First Data. — Aaron Back, WSJ, "Paying Up for Worldpay Might Make Sense," 18 Mar. 2019 The outerwear was similar to the many green army coats the duchess owns, but, of course, this isn't the first time Kate's bought multiples of something. — Marina Liao, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton Wore an Army Green Fjallraven Jacket for Her Return From Maternity Leave," 2 Oct. 2018 The drive-by-wire steering and transmission paired with the VC-Turbo engine and multiple driving modes make for an engaging vehicle that is fun to drive and handles nicely. — Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, "Variable-compression engine meets crossover: Infiniti QX50 review," 8 Nov. 2018 Research suggests that nearly 20 percent of pregnant women are prescribed bed rest each year, for diagnoses ranging from preeclampsia and preterm labor to simply being pregnant with multiples. — Aileen Weintraub, Glamour, "My High-Risk Pregnancy Almost Plunged Me Into Financial Ruin," 11 May 2018 But having multiple and getting higher special and temporal resolution has a lot of science implications. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "The First Interplanetary CubeSats Are Set to Fly to Mars," 3 May 2018 Starbucks did not return an immediate request for comment and multiple calls to the Center City location were met with busy signals Saturday morning. — Patricia Madej, Philly.com, "Video of two people being removed from a Philadelphia Starbucks draws outrage, investigation," 14 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'multiple.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about multiple

Dictionary Entries near multiple

multiple-alphabet cipher

multiple birth

Statistics for multiple

Last Updated

24 May 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for multiple

The first known use of multiple was in 1647

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More Definitions for multiple

multiple

noun

Financial Definition of multiple

What It Is

A multiple is a relative valuation metric used to estimate the value of a stock.

How It Works

Let's look at an example to illustrate the concept.

Assume that Big Store's stock is trading at $14 and the company's earnings per share (EPS) is $2. Therefore, Big Store's price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) is $14/$2 = 7. This number -- "7" -- is known as a multiple.

Here's how you could use it in your analysis:

Assume the average P/E ratio for the companies in Big Store's industry is 10. By applying the average industry multiple to Big Store's earnings per share (EPS), you can estimate the price Big Store "should" be trading at a higher price. Here's the calculation:

Price = EPS * Multiple

Price = $2 * 10 = $20

In this example, it appears that Big Store's stock price should be trading at $20 instead of $14. If your analysis is correct, you would want to buy the company today and wait for the price to adjust to where it "should" be, locking in a healthy $6 gain.

Why It Matters

You can apply a multiple to any number of performance measures, but some of the most common include EPS, EBITDA, book value and revenue.

Investors use multiples to gain some insight into whether a company's stock price is too high or too low.

Multiples are quick, but limited tools for stock analysis. They can provide a snapshot of a stock’s potential without getting bogged down in the details of the financial statements.

Unfortunately, most of the useful details are in the financial statements. For example, Big Store may trade at a lower multiple relative to its peers because it isn't growing as fast. Or perhaps its management team is not as effective. If you only use the earnings multiple to estimate the stock's intrinsic value, you're working without 99.9% of the available information.

The bottom line is that multiples can be complementary tools in your financial toolbox. However, they should never be the only tools you use.

Source: Investing Answers

multiple

adjective