When you see times in math, it means to multiply. If you calculate 3 times 4, you're finding out what 3 groups of 4 equals, which is 12. The times symbol (×) tells you to multiply the numbers on either side of it.

Multiplication grew out of repeated addition: 3 times 4 is really just 4 + 4 + 4. But saying “times” and using multiplication makes calculations much faster. Instead of adding 27 sevens together, you can simply calculate 7 times 27.

The word also means occasions or instances. You might read the same book several times because you love it. Your teacher might remind you three times to bring your permission slip. If something happened in ancient times, it occurred long ago. When we say “modern times,” we mean the present era.

There's also The Times, a famous newspaper name, and the phrase hard times for difficult periods. If you arrive somewhere “in the nick of time,” you made it just barely before it was too late.