multiplication

multiplication — noun

1. A maths method for finding the total by adding a number repeatedly — for instanc

1.nounB1
Definition

A maths method for finding the total by adding a number repeatedly — for instance, 3 multiplied by 4 is the same as adding 3 four times, which gives 12.

Example

The students practised multiplication tables every morning until they could recite them from memory.

collocation: multiplication tables

Eliska used multiplication to work out the total cost of five cinema tickets priced at fourteen dollars each.

real-world application: unit price times quantity

Common collocations
  • multiplication table
  • multiplication sign
  • multiplication problem
  • mental multiplication
  • simple multiplication
  • basic multiplication
Synonyms
  • times

    informal preposition used in spoken maths ('What is 6 times 7?'); not a noun.

  • product

    refers to the result of multiplication, not the operation itself.

Antonyms
  • division

    the inverse operation that undoes multiplication.

Grammar Patterns

multiplication + of + number + and + number

do/solve + [adjective] + multiplication

Usage Note

The noun is uncountable when it names the operation as a subject or concept, but countable when it refers to a particular calculation or problem.

Common Mistakes

We learned the multiplication in primary school.
We learned multiplication in primary school.
When talking about the subject or operation in general, do not add 'the'.
Please solve the multiplication of 6 and 7.
Please solve 6 multiplied by 7.' or 'Please do the multiplication: 6 times 7.
Native speakers avoid 'the multiplication of A and B' for simple calculations.

2. The process of something growing quickly in number, amount, or scale — often use

2.nounB2
Definition

The process of something growing quickly in number, amount, or scale — often used when the increase spreads widely or affects many places at the same time.

Example

The rapid multiplication of mosquitoes after floods led to a health warning across the region.

pattern: rapid multiplication of [sth]

Defne studied the multiplication of bacteria in warm milk under a microscope.

scientific context: multiplication of bacteria

Common collocations
  • rapid multiplication
  • massive multiplication
  • steady multiplication
  • multiplication of cases
  • multiplication of jobs
Synonyms
  • proliferation

    more formal; emphasises the rapid spread of many individual items.

  • expansion

    focuses on growth in size or scope rather than pure number.

  • growth

    more neutral; does not imply speed or dramatic scale.

Antonyms
  • reduction

    the general opposite; a decrease in number or amount.

  • decline

    suggests a steady fall over time.

Grammar Patterns

[adjective] + multiplication + of + noun phrase

multiplication + in + noun phrase

Usage Note

Common in formal, scientific, and journalistic writing. The increase it describes is typically large-scale or rapid — it sounds unnatural for small, slow growth.

Common Mistakes

The multiplication of customers made the shop busy.
The rapid multiplication of customers made the shop very busy.
This sense usually needs a modifier or a specific descriptive context to sound natural.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words are linked to the same arithmetic operation, but each plays a different role. Multiplication is the noun for the operation itself ('Children learn multiplication at age eight'). Times works as an informal preposition in spoken maths ('What is 6 times 7?') and cannot be used as a noun. Product names the result of multiplication, not the process ('The product of 4 and 5 is 20'). Division is the inverse operation that undoes what multiplication does. For example: if multiplication tells you that 3 groups of 4 make 12, then division tells you that 12 split into 3 equal groups gives 4. Learners should avoid using 'times' as a noun ('✗ The times of 4 and 5 is 20') and avoid confusing 'product' with the operation itself.

multiplication ↗timesproduct ↗division ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • the multiplication of
  • by multiplication

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Multiplication comes from the Latin word 'multiplicare', which is built from 'multi-' meaning 'many' and 'plicare' meaning 'to fold'. The original image was of folding something many times over — creating many layers. This idea of 'manyfold increase' led to the modern mathematical meaning of repeated addition.