multiple

adjective mul·ti·ple \ ˈməl-tə-pəl \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Examples: multiple in a Sentence

Definition of multiple

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 ²terminal 3) which make a circuit available at a number of points

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

a multiple fruit

See multiple defined for English-language learners

See multiple defined for kids

Examples of multiple in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of multiple from the Web

Current conditions result from decades of pollution and overuse from multiple sources - urban, rural, agricultural, residential and industrial.

— miamiherald, "Leigh-Ann Buchanan," 5 June 2018
Shulaya’s organization hosted multiple poker games a week, some involving hundreds of thousands of dollars.

— garrett graff, Longreads, "A Vor Never Sleeps," 5 June 2018
With multiple undeniable state needs, ranging from critical education funding to transportation and infrastructure, trust in government is a key because Missouri requires voter approval for large tax increases and state constitutional changes.

— kansascity, "Jean Paul Bradshaw," 5 June 2018
It was first issued in 1998 and has been reissued multiple times since, and has raised more than $86 million for breast cancer research.

— NBC News, "U.S. postal stamp helped fund key breast study," 4 June 2018
There are multiple Bernards WL: Bernard's (or rather Ford's) ruse as a robot pretending to be human was finally undone after Charlotte and others find a room filled with damaged Bernard bodies.

— william lee, chicagotribune.com, "‘Westworld’ Episode 7 recap: 5 things to know about ‘Les Écorchés' and what lies beneath the surface," 4 June 2018
Those guardians frequently take care of multiple wards, and are granted access to everything from medical records to bank accounts with one expert claiming that wards have fewer rights than prisoners.

— melissa locker, Time, "No Plans for Old Age? John Oliver Suggests Making Tom Hanks Your Legal Guardian on Last Week Tonight," 4 June 2018
Louisville has already hosted multiple campus visits by Trinity High junior guard David Johnson, who committed to the Cards last year before backing off his pledge in the days after the FBI news broke in late September.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "With Josh Nickelberry in place, what's next for Louisville recruiting?," 4 June 2018
The trend in baseball is to have players play multiple positions.

— john fay, Cincinnati.com, "Scooter Gennett would consider the outfield as part of long-term deal with Cincinnati Reds," 4 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.

Origin and Etymology of multiple

French, from Latin multiplex, from multi- + -plex -fold — more at -fold

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1647

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

multiple Synonyms

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

multiple

noun

Definition of multiple

1 a : 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 4b

3 chiefly British : chain store

See multiple defined for English-language learners

Examples of multiple in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of multiple from the Web

But the DeSantis campaign said Facebook went further by denying one of its online ad buys in April multiple times because of its content.

— steve contorno and emily l. mahoney, miamiherald, "These Florida political campaigns were tripped up by Facebook's new ad rules," 31 May 2018
Each Bulava carries six multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles (MIRVs) with a 100-kiloton yield, or about six times the explosive power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russian Sub Unleashes Four Nuclear Missiles in Less Than 20 Seconds," 24 May 2018
Read more: There were multiple spent shell casings recovered within a short distance from the victim and a semi-automatic handgun was located lying on the couch next to the victim.

— keith matheny, Detroit Free Press, "2 men killed by live-in girlfriends in separate weekend incidents, police say," 13 May 2018
The plan to use the building for programs in four ASU schools, multiple think tanks, a policy journal, the university's federal lobbying operations and collaborative ventures.

— rachel leingang, azcentral, "Why ASU spent $35 million for a building 10 minutes from the White House," 20 Apr. 2018
Thanks to Congress, however, the agency can now consider flying the Block 1 version of the SLS rocket multiple times.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "NASA may fly crew into deep space sooner, but there’s a price," 13 Apr. 2018
The catcher is allowed at least 10 warmup pitches and multiple throws down to second base.

— gabriel baumgaertner, SI.com, "How to Create a 'Scott Foster' Rule for MLB: Let a Civilian Be the Emergency Catcher," 30 Mar. 2018
Clements was shot multiples times, according to the medical examiner.

— robert mccoppin, Elgin Courier-News, "Family of Elgin woman fatally shot by officer see police footage: 'This situation did not have to escalate'," 22 Mar. 2018
Over three-quarters of a million people ride a bike multiple times a month in New York, a 49 percent increase over 2009.

— steven higashide, The Atlantic, "The Design Bible That Changed How Americans Bike in Cities," 1 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of multiple

see ¹multiple

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1660

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Financial Definition of MULTIPLE

multiple

noun

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 Defined for English Language Learners

multiple

adjective

Definition of multiple for English Language Learners

: more than one
: shared by many people

multiple

noun

Definition of multiple for English Language Learners

mathematics : a number that can be produced by multiplying a smaller number

MULTIPLE Defined for Kids

multiple

adjective mul·ti·ple \ ˈməl-tə-pəl \

Definition of multiple for Students

: being or consisting of more than one

We need multiple copies.

multiple

noun

Definition of multiple for Students

: the number found by multiplying one number by another

35 is a multiple of 7.

Medical Dictionary

multiple

adjective mul·ti·ple \ ˈməl-tə-pəl \

medical Definition of multiple

1 : consisting of, including, or involving more than one

multiple births

2 : affecting many parts of the body at once

Learn More about multiple

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for multiple Spanish Central: Translation of multiple Nglish: Translation of multiple for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of multiple for Arabic speakers

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multiple

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Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

multiple

Definition of multiple

Examples of multiple in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of multiple

Financial Definition of MULTIPLE

What It Is

How It Works

Why It Matters

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MULTIPLE Defined for English Language Learners

multiple

Definition of multiple for English Language Learners

multiple

Definition of multiple for English Language Learners

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multiple

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