as in hypotheses
an idea that is the starting point for making a case or conducting an investigation
set out to prove her theory that people can't really taste any difference between colas, so they buy according to the product's image
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Recent Examples of theories
Mid-century collective behavior theories considered social movements to be nonrational, spontaneous events occurring during moments of social and cultural breakdown.
—
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
Testing particle physics theories, the $8 billion LHC was composed of superconducting magnets that allowed scientists to study subatomic particles including protons, electrons, quarks and photons.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Each of the people involved in the harassment case have different theories on why Kendra sent the messages to Owen and Lauryn.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
What are the theories about the triangle?
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Now, many have sought — and are still seeking — to further unify our theories of physics into a single description.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 9 Sep. 2025
After all, the President of the United States is a creature of corporate America, now leveraging his office to alter seemingly every aspect of business, through tariffs, firings (some driven by referrals from Pulte), appointments and novel legal theories.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Amazon and Apple’s stocks also fell prey to negative theories, Cramer said, but their shares eventually recovered.
—Julie Coleman, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
But experts have a few theories about how these dietary habits might influence osteoporosis risk.
—Simon Spichak, Health, 3 Sep. 2025
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
Testing particle physics theories, the $8 billion LHC was composed of superconducting magnets that allowed scientists to study subatomic particles including protons, electrons, quarks and photons.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Each of the people involved in the harassment case have different theories on why Kendra sent the messages to Owen and Lauryn.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025
What are the theories about the triangle?
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Now, many have sought — and are still seeking — to further unify our theories of physics into a single description.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 9 Sep. 2025
After all, the President of the United States is a creature of corporate America, now leveraging his office to alter seemingly every aspect of business, through tariffs, firings (some driven by referrals from Pulte), appointments and novel legal theories.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Amazon and Apple’s stocks also fell prey to negative theories, Cramer said, but their shares eventually recovered.
—Julie Coleman, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
But experts have a few theories about how these dietary habits might influence osteoporosis risk.
—Simon Spichak, Health, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theories
hypotheses
Noun
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This flexible system allows performers to switch between hypotheses of how dinosaurs might have sounded.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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Investigators initially had 12 hypotheses about what caused the deadly collapse, per The Miami Herald.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Theories.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theories. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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