multiplication

/ˌmʌltɪplɪˈkeɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌmʌltɪplɪˈkeɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌməl-tə-plə-ˈkā-shən/ (ame, mw)

multiplication — noun

  • multiplicationsingular
  • multiplicationsplural

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

1.名詞B1
釋義

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.

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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.

反義詞
  • division

    the inverse operation that undoes multiplication.

文法句型

multiplication + of + number + and + number

do/solve + [adjective] + multiplication

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B2
釋義

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.

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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.

反義詞
  • reduction

    the general opposite; a decrease in number or amount.

  • decline

    suggests a steady fall over time.

文法句型

[adjective] + multiplication + of + noun phrase

multiplication + in + noun phrase

用法筆記

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

常見錯誤

❌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.