multiple
adjective
\
Definition of multiple
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : consisting of, including, or involving more than one multiple births multiple choices
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
nounDefinition 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
3 chiefly British : chain store
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Synonyms & Antonyms for multiple
Synonyms: Adjective
collaborative, collective, combined, common, communal, concerted, conjoint, conjunct, cooperative, joint, mutual, pooled, public, shared, united
Antonyms: Adjective
exclusive, individual, one-man, one-sided, one-way, single, sole, solitary, unilateral
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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
But multiple members of Rankin's family expressed disappointment with the prison sentence. — Bree Burkitt, azcentral, "Former Navajo Nation police officer sentenced to 16 years in prison for fatal DUI crash," 14 July 2018 If Kavanaugh proves the crucial fifth vote to overturn Roe, there are multiple ways in which the Supreme Court could do so. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "How the Supreme Court Kills Roe v. Wade," 11 July 2018 Five of those went on to have multiple knee surgeries. — Malika Andrews, chicagotribune.com, "A career-threatening surgery: The rise and fall of microfracture in the NBA," 6 July 2018 There are multiple ways to rock this DIY idea, but one method could involve cutting a piece of neon yellow poster board and then using string to hang it around your neck. — Elizabeth Denton, Seventeen, "14 Genius Group Halloween Costume Ideas for You and Your Squad," 6 July 2018 David Spencer and a spokeswoman for Prytime Medical did not return multiple calls and emails requesting comment. — Mark Collette, Joshua Fechter And Bill Lambrecht, San Antonio Express-News, "Companies earn billions to shelter immigrant children," 29 June 2018 Each piece is made with the intention to be worn multiple ways, and for many different activities throughout your travels. — Tara Lamont-djite, Harper's BAZAAR, "Rosetta Getty's Travel-Focused Collection is All You Need to Pack," 29 June 2018 There are multiple ways to livestream the launch online. — Sarah Gray, Fortune, "Here's How to Watch the Last Launch of SpaceX's Block 4 Falcon 9," 29 June 2018 The community is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the city and its police department in multiple ways, including free bus tours to teach residents about its history. — Tracy Maness, Houston Chronicle, "Bellaire celebrating 100-year milestones," 28 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
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 albums were meant to exist in the multiple, registering as events and as cultural tentpoles: constantly played and constantly argued over. — Jason Parham, WIRED, "Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Everything Is Love Marks a New Step in the Album's Evolution," 19 June 2018 Despite its recent slide, BOE trades at more than 15 times current-year earnings, a higher multiple than industry leader Samsung Electronics Co. — Bloomberg.com, "Apple Supplier Is Worst China Performer After Screen Prices Drop," 18 June 2018These 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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More Definitions for multiple
multiple
nounFinancial 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
English Language Learners Definition of multiple
(Entry 1 of 2)
: more than one
: shared by many people
multiple
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of multiple (Entry 2 of 2)
mathematics : a number that can be produced by multiplying a smaller number
See the full definition for multiple in the English Language Learners Dictionary
multiple
adjective
\
Kids Definition of multiple
(Entry 1 of 2)
: being or consisting of more than one We need multiple copies.
multiple
nounKids Definition of multiple (Entry 2 of 2)
: the number found by multiplying one number by another 35 is a multiple of 7.
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multiple
adjective
\
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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Comments on multiple
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