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 sufferred 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

Since the mural went up, though, it had been targeted and vandalized by angry Lakers fans on multiple occasions. — Andrew Joseph, For The Win, "Artist completely paints over his LeBron James Lakers mural in Los Angeles," 11 July 2018 Advertisement X Family members have identified the suspect as Honeycutt, according to multiple news outlets in Los Angeles. — Claire Morgan, sacbee, "Former Sacramento King Tyler Honeycutt found dead after standoff with LAPD," 7 July 2018 Nursing supervisor Paul Vilja filed a complaint last December after a man who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the deaths of multiple people was moved from a secure ward into one with limited security. — CBS News, "Report: Washington state psych hospital is "like going into hell"," 6 July 2018 Beyoncé says the bad word on multiple occasions in this hard banging celebration of high-powered entertainment couple bliss on Everything Is Love, which features art history lessons aplenty in its video filmed at Paris’ Louvre museum. — Dan Deluca, Philly.com, "Drake, Ariana Grande, Cardi B and the other songs to create the best Summer music playlist," 5 July 2018 In a recent interview with Nylon magazine, Riverdale's Camila Mendes, who has on multiple occasions promoted body positivity and supported her BFF Lili Reinhart amid ridiculous pregnancy rumors, opened up about struggling with an eating disorder. — Noelle Devoe, Seventeen, "Camila Mendes From "Riverdale" Opens About Struggling With an Eating Disorder," 3 July 2018 Sessions in wine, beer, cheese, honey and olive oil tasting are offered multiple times a day. — Julia Sclafani And Jordan Cutler-tietjen, sacbee, "All the new State Fair offerings: wine tastings, silent discos, coasters and acai bowls," 12 July 2018 Among the beer available on tap: Bud Light, Miller Light, Michelob Ultra, Coors Light and multiple craft beer options. — Drew Davison, star-telegram, "Frog Tracks: Member of TCU's first CWS squad joins coaching staff," 12 July 2018 Moore, an expert in genetic genealogy education, has worked with the show multiple times. — Michael Katz, idahostatesman, "His mother left him in a box. 31 years later, this Boisean has reunited with his father.," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Assuming investors assign a similar multiple to GE Healthcare, back of the envelope math suggests a valuation for the business in the neighborhood of $60 billion to $70 billion. — Brooke Sutherland, chicagotribune.com, "GE health business is ready for its closeup," 27 June 2018 The gap in gross domestic product per capita between North and South is probably the widest between any two neighboring countries on Earth—a multiple of 22 in 2016, according to the Bank of Korea. — Bloomberg.com, "Why Doesn’t North Korea Want to Be More Like Its Neighbors?," 23 May 2018 The Associated Press is reporting the Trump Administration is operating multiple ‘tender age’ shelters at the border where babies and toddlers are sent after being separated from the adults caring for them. — Kate Murphy, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Children's Hospital opposes removing children from families at US border," 20 June 2018 Others to keep an eye on are the Suns and Hawks, each of whom have multiple picks to dangle. — Jeremy Woo, SI.com, "2018 NBA Mock Draft 9.0: Trade Speculation Heats Up," 10 June 2018 And a couple of weeks ago, Dolinsky launched his Pizza City, USA Tours, a series of walking (and bus) tours exposing participants to Chicago’s multiple pizza styles (the most of any city, per Dolinsky’s book). — Phil Vettel, chicagotribune.com, "Steve Dolinsky launches pizza tours, will discuss new book at Lit Fest," 7 June 2018 Yet when the brick sheds with corrugated metal roofs at the Zennor Tradepark went up for sale, the buyer paid a higher multiple of the rents the property was generating than the investor who purchased the stores of Burlington Arcade. — Fortune, "This Is London's Hottest Property — Thanks to Amazon," 13 July 2018 In paying around €300 million, Mr. Sorrell has valued the firm at a multiple of 15 times earnings in an industry where companies usually sell for less than 10 times earnings, according to industry executives. — Nick Kostov, WSJ, "WPP Has a New Rival: Its Founder," 10 July 2018 That's based on a 4.5 multiple of its forward earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization -- a bit below what Staples Inc. received in a recent LBO. — Nick Turner And Caleb Mutua, chicagotribune.com, "GameStop confirms it's holding talks with potential suitors," 19 June 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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Dictionary Entries near multiple

multiple-alphabet cipher

multiple birth

Statistics for multiple

Last Updated

8 Nov 2018

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