multiple

multiple — adjective

1. existing in or involving a large number of people, things, or events — often of

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

existing in or involving a large number of people, things, or events — often of different kinds or from different sources.

Example

The patient showed multiple symptoms, including fever, headache, and joint pain.

Eleni received multiple job offers after finishing her degree.

multiple + plural noun (job offers)

Common collocations
  • multiple times
  • multiple sources
  • multiple options
  • multiple copies
  • multiple attempts
Synonyms
  • numerous

    more formal; suggests a very large count ('numerous studies have shown…')

  • various

    emphasises different types rather than just a large count ('for various reasons')

  • many

    simpler and more everyday; interchangeable in most contexts but less precise about variety

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

multiple + plural noun

Usage Note

Used only before a noun (attributive position). Unlike some adjectives, 'multiple' does not have comparative or superlative forms — you cannot say 'more multiple' or 'most multiple'.

Common Mistakes

There were more multiple problems than before.
There were even more problems than before.
'multiple' already means 'many'; do not add 'more' or 'most' to it.

2. describing a disease, injury, or medical condition that is found in or harms sev

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a disease, injury, or medical condition that is found in or harms several different places on a person's body at once.

Example

The car crash left Ignacio with multiple fractures to his legs and ribs.

multiple + plural noun (fractures to body parts)

Kenji learned that his father has multiple sclerosis, which affects the brain and spine.

Common collocations
  • multiple fractures
  • multiple injuries
  • multiple sclerosis
  • multiple organ failure
  • multiple wounds
Synonyms
  • widespread

    less precise about body parts; describes spread across an area rather than multiple sites

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

multiple + plural noun (body parts/injuries)

Usage Note

Frequently used with medical compounds such as 'multiple sclerosis', 'multiple fractures', 'multiple organ failure'. In everyday speech the more general adjective sense (many) is far more common.

multiple — noun

multiple — prefix

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These four words all indicate a quantity greater than a few, but they differ in nuance and register. 'Many' is the most neutral and everyday — it simply states a large count ('many people came'). 'Several' suggests a moderate number, typically between three and a handful ('several options were discussed'). 'Numerous' is more formal and implies an impressively large count ('numerous studies have confirmed this finding'). 'Various', unlike the others, emphasises diversity of type rather than sheer number ('for various reasons, the plan was delayed' uses 'various' because the reasons differ, not because there are many of them). 'Multiple' overlaps most closely with 'numerous' but carries a stronger sense of multiplicity — separate instances of the same kind. For example, 'multiple injuries' means separate distinct injuries, whereas 'many injuries' just means a large number.

numerous ↗various ↗several ↗many ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • multiple choice
  • multiple sclerosis
  • multiple fractures
  • multiple injuries
  • multiple entry
  • multiple use

Adverbs

  • multiple times

Phrases

  • lowest common multiple
  • multiple organ failure

Prepositions

  • in multiples of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'multiple' entered English in the 17th century from French 'multiple', which came from the Latin 'multiplex' — a combination of 'multus' (many) and the root '-plex' (folded, as in 'folded together'). The same Latin root gives us 'multiply', 'multitude', and the prefix 'multi-'. The '-plex' root also appears in 'complex' (braided together) and 'simplex' (single-folded). The sense of 'multiple' as a retail chain emerged in British English in the mid-20th century as large supermarket groups expanded across the country.