multiplier

/ˈmʌltɪplaɪə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmʌltɪplaɪər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈməl-tə-ˌplī(-ə)r/ (ame, mw)

multiplier — noun

1. in arithmetic, the number that tells you how many times to take another number w

1.名詞B2
釋義

in arithmetic, the number that tells you how many times to take another number when doing multiplication; for example, in 6 × 4 the multiplier is 4.

例句

Mr. Feng wrote the multiplier under the first number before showing the class how to multiply.

noun phrase: the multiplier (definite, in arithmetic instruction)

In the sum 8 × 5, the multiplier is 5 and the multiplicand is 8.

pattern: the multiplier is + number (defining a value)

同義詞
  • multiplicator

    rare technical synonym; modern textbooks prefer 'multiplier'

  • factor

    broader term — covers any number being multiplied, not only the second one

反義詞
  • multiplicand

    the number being multiplied (the first number in the expression)

  • divisor

    the corresponding number in division, not multiplication

文法句型

the multiplier of [number]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names a specific number inside a multiplication problem, while sense 2 describes anything that makes an effect stronger.

常見錯誤

❌The multiplier of 6 × 4 are 6 and 4.
✅In 6 × 4, 6 is the multiplicand and 4 is the multiplier.
💡only the second number in the expression is called the multiplier; the first is the multiplicand.

2. anything — an event, condition, or tool — that makes the size, power, or reach o

2.名詞C1
釋義

anything — an event, condition, or tool — that makes the size, power, or reach of something else much greater than it would otherwise be; for example, social media acting as a multiplier of public anger after a scandal.

例句

Heavy rain was a multiplier of the flood damage in the village downstream.

pattern: a multiplier of [noun] (formal cause-and-effect)

For small businesses, good word of mouth can act as a powerful multiplier of new customers.

collocation: act as a multiplier (verbal use)

同義詞
  • amplifier

    more common in everyday writing; emphasises making louder or more noticeable

  • intensifier

    stresses making something stronger in degree, not necessarily larger in number

  • catalyst

    speeds up a process; 'multiplier' stresses how much bigger the outcome becomes

反義詞
  • dampener

    something that reduces an effect rather than enlarging it

  • buffer

    absorbs impact instead of magnifying it

文法句型

a multiplier of [noun]

act as a multiplier

用法筆記

Object after 'of' is usually an effect, state, or outcome (damage, anger, productivity), not a concrete thing being copied. Distinguish from sense 1 — no arithmetic is implied; the meaning is metaphorical scaling.

常見錯誤

❌The new printer is a multiplier of documents.
✅The new printer makes many copies of documents.
💡'multiplier' here is not used for physical duplication; use 'copier' or 'a machine that produces many copies'.