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
Out of these theories, the last seemed the most speculative, personal, and, therefore, pertinent.
—
Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
There are fan theories that at least part of Vought Rising will take place after the events of The Boys, where the WWII-era flashbacks will be the other half of the show.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
These false theories become especially powerful when they are amplified by people with large platforms, such as former congressional representative of Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene and popular health influencers.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
In the past nine months, the United States has produced more AI legislation than in the prior decade, and on three different theories of what AI policy is supposed to do.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 15 May 2026
Heughan does have some theories as to why and how Jamie appears in the 20th century.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 15 May 2026
One of the leading theories centers on opinion leaders, also known as influencers or connectors—that is, individuals who boast considerable expertise or interest in a particular product category and who are highly connected in a social sense, either offline or online.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 May 2026
Most earlier theories assumed Ganymede formed hot, allowing heavy metallic material to rapidly sink inward and create a core early in its history.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 May 2026
The case file on Weaver’s murder that Logothetti ultimately inherited from her predecessors at the Everett Police Department brimmed with outlandish theories around her death involving money laundering and cocaine.
—Nina Giraldo, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
There are fan theories that at least part of Vought Rising will take place after the events of The Boys, where the WWII-era flashbacks will be the other half of the show.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
These false theories become especially powerful when they are amplified by people with large platforms, such as former congressional representative of Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene and popular health influencers.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
In the past nine months, the United States has produced more AI legislation than in the prior decade, and on three different theories of what AI policy is supposed to do.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 15 May 2026
Heughan does have some theories as to why and how Jamie appears in the 20th century.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 15 May 2026
One of the leading theories centers on opinion leaders, also known as influencers or connectors—that is, individuals who boast considerable expertise or interest in a particular product category and who are highly connected in a social sense, either offline or online.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 May 2026
Most earlier theories assumed Ganymede formed hot, allowing heavy metallic material to rapidly sink inward and create a core early in its history.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 10 May 2026
The case file on Weaver’s murder that Logothetti ultimately inherited from her predecessors at the Everett Police Department brimmed with outlandish theories around her death involving money laundering and cocaine.
—Nina Giraldo, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for theories
Noun
-
The humans would explore — surfacing hypotheses, chasing hunches, venturing into territory the data didn’t obviously support.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
-
To achieve this, domain experts need to provide their most sophisticated hypotheses and command the AI to find the failure points.—
Syed Ahmad,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Russia’s largest airport — Moscow’s Sheremetyevo — said drone debris had fallen on its premises without causing damage.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 May 2026
-
Well, there's not a full Pentagon press corps even present at the Pentagon these days for a news conference like that without getting special permission to be on the premises right now.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Theories.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/theories. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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