multiple

adjective mul·ti·ple \ ˈməl-tə-pəl \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

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

With general turkey seasons for youths and adults, along with multiple tags available, there are lots of opportunities for people to get outdoors and enjoy hunting in the spring.

— roger phillips, idahostatesman, "Turkey season is here; time to head out of town | Idaho Statesman," 10 Apr. 2018
Four Panthers had multiple hits and Mara Little picked up the win.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "CMW gets no-hit at Bo Manor in softball matchup of state champions," 10 Apr. 2018
File Manager came from an older time, the era of the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) wherein one File Manager window contained multiple separate panes for actually browsing your files.

— peter bright, Ars Technica, "Relive the 1990s on Windows 10 with the newly open sourced File Manager," 9 Apr. 2018
The center position could be the most intriguing on A-Day, simply because of the multiple injuries incurred at the position.

— tom green, AL.com, "6 things to watch for during Auburn's A-Day spring game," 6 Apr. 2018
After all, this person has to interact with everyone on set, balance multiple requests at a time, and are often tossed last-minute projects that require them to think fast on their feet.

— lauren smith, Good Housekeeping, "Ty Pennington Gets Real About What It's Like Being a Carpenter on "Trading Spaces"," 5 Apr. 2018
According to multiple sources familiar with Mueller’s tactics, the special counsel is focused on the potential flow of money from Russia to Trump’s campaign and inauguration.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "How Mueller Is Strong-arming Russia’s Oligarchs to Get to Trump," 5 Apr. 2018
Richard Gentry, the commission’s chief executive, declined multiple requests for interviews last week.

— david garrick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Preserving old, low-rent apartments could play key role in solving San Diego's housing crisis," 2 Apr. 2018
While multiple sources confirmed to TMZ that the biter was actually Sanna Lathan, other celebrities were initially floated as possibilities, including Jennifer Lawrence and Gwyneth Paltrow.

— kayleigh roberts, Harper's BAZAAR, "Lena Dunham Responds to Rumors That She's the Person Who Bit Beyoncé," 31 Mar. 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

Police received multiple calls about a vehicle being driven erratically near Highway 47, but could not locate it.

— samantha swindler, OregonLive.com, "Driver swerved to avoid hitting Pikachu: Forest Grove police log," 9 Apr. 2018
Publishing typically trades on a multiple of net publisher's share, also known as gross profit.

— ed christman, Billboard, "EMI FAQ: A Beginner's Guide to What Could Be This Summer's Biggest Music Industry Auction," 6 Apr. 2018
First, filter out multiples of 2, then 3, then 5, then 7—the first four primes.

— martin h. weissman, Smithsonian, "Why Prime Numbers Still Surprise and Mystify Mathematicians," 2 Apr. 2018
Disney parks don’t allow anyone over 14 to dress up in the characters’ official costumes to avoid confusion among young visitors who would potentially come across multiples of their favorite princes and princesses.

— karen mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, "John Stamos' Pregnant Wife Caitlin McHugh Jokes About Her Baby Bump with R2-D2," 2 Apr. 2018
If the distance to an object is a multiple of that, then the signal looks exactly the same.

— chris lee, Ars Technica, "Lidar system images bullet in flight," 30 Mar. 2018
Showing that all piles weigh the same tells the judge the number of fake coins must be a multiple of 4, and we are done.

— nicholas diaco, Scientific American, "Privacy and Counterfeit Coins," 20 Mar. 2018
Make multiples of this, but don't crowd the pan during browning.

— debbi snook, cleveland.com, "St. Patrick's Day Irish Pork Stew with Caraway and Stout (photo, recipes)," 13 Mar. 2018
There were multiple such rooms spread over four floors.

— anton troianovski, Washington Post, "A former Russian troll speaks: ‘It was like being in Orwell’s world’," 17 Feb. 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

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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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multiple

Definition of multiple for English Language Learners

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