as in theory
an idea that is the starting point for making a case or conducting an investigation
working on the hypothesis that teenagers function better in the late morning, some high schools are starting classes later
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Recent Examples of hypothesis
Non-falsifiable and untestable hypotheses cannot be checked out, and hence those ideas are incapable of disproof.
—
Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
If there are answers to these questions, or informed hypotheses, this biography does not provide them.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
That hypothesis makes sense to outside experts like Lauren Trainor, a developmental neuroscientist who studies music perception at McMaster University.
—Regina G. Barber, NPR, 6 Feb. 2026
Even so, the model is helping scientists to prioritize which genetic variants are most likely to matter, narrowing the search from across the genome to a manageable set of testable hypotheses.
—Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hypothesis
Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
If there are answers to these questions, or informed hypotheses, this biography does not provide them.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
That hypothesis makes sense to outside experts like Lauren Trainor, a developmental neuroscientist who studies music perception at McMaster University.
—Regina G. Barber, NPR, 6 Feb. 2026
Even so, the model is helping scientists to prioritize which genetic variants are most likely to matter, narrowing the search from across the genome to a manageable set of testable hypotheses.
—Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for hypothesis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hypothesis
Noun
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The tobacco trials — which took place over decades but began to shift in favor of plaintiffs in the ’90s — similarly saw various types of plaintiffs file a wave of lawsuits, contributing to the release of internal documents and testing new legal theories.—
Clare Duffy,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
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Analysts offer competing, somewhat contradictory theories about the software selloff.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The investment thesis continues to be that these stocks should provide a better risk/reward and a margin of safety as volatility is here to stay.—
Jeff Kilburg,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
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All this is not to say, however, that Sternhell’s thesis on the French origins of fascism should be taken for granted.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In 2020, California voters approved a proposition to create a new state agency to enforce data privacy rules and regulate the businesses that collect data.—
Adam Echelman,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
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In response to backlash regarding the fee-in-lieu proposition, Ross Babel, co-founder of Fulton Street Companies, defended the company’s proposition to observers.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hypothesis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypothesis. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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