theory

theory
noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ complete, unified
▪

a grand unified theory of the physical forces governing matter

▪ general
▪ coherent
▪ current, modern, new
▪ classical
▪

Keynes misinterpreted the classical theory of interest.

▪ pet
▪

One of her pet theories is that people who restrict their calorie intake live longer.

▪ alternative, conflicting
▪ abstract
▪

His comments are just abstract theory and show little understanding of the realities of the situation.

▪ economic, legal, linguistic, literary, political, scientific, social, etc.
▪ critical
▪ feminist, Marxist, postmodern, structuralist, etc.
▪

Current feminist theory consists of several different trends.

▪

the dominant strand of postmodern theory

▪ chaos, evolutionary, game, number, probability, quantum, string, etc.
▪ conspiracy
▪

a conspiracy theory about the princess's death

… OF THEORIES
▪ set
▪

Each school has its own set of theories.

VERB + THEORY
▪ have, hold
▪ advance, develop, formulate, present, produce, propose, put forward
▪ work on
▪

Police are working on the theory that the murderer was known to the family.

▪ refute, reject
▪ accept
▪ confirm, prove, support
▪ disprove
▪ challenge, test
▪ apply, use
THEORY + VERB
▪ hold sth, suggest sth
▪ explain sth, predict sth
▪ be based on sth
PREPOSITION
▪ in theory
▪

In theory, these machines should last for ten years.

▪ theory about
▪

He has a theory about why dogs walk in circles before going to sleep.

PHRASES
▪ put (the) theory into practice, theory and practice
▪

the distinction/relationship between theory and practice


Collocations dictionary. 2013.

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  • theory — theo‧ry [ˈθɪəri ǁ ˈθiːəri] noun theories PLURALFORM 1. [countable] an idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain why something happens or how it works: theory of • The book is called An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change . • The theory… …   Financial and business terms

  • Theory m — – A Theory of Leadership Management = Theory M X Y The Theory M style of leadership is one that recognizes that it is necessary to employ a variety of tactics for varying management situations. This type manager / leader is confident in his… …   Wikipedia

  • Theory — The o*ry, n.; pl. {Theories}. [F. th[ e]orie, L. theoria, Gr. ? a beholding, spectacle, contemplation, speculation, fr. ? a spectator, ? to see, view. See {Theater}.] 1. A doctrine, or scheme of things, which terminates in speculation or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • theory — theory, social theory A theory is an account of the world which goes beyond what we can see and measure. It embraces a set of interrelated definitions and relationships that organizes our concepts of and understanding of the empirical world in a… …   Dictionary of sociology

  • theory — I noun assumption, belief, conjecture, doctrina, doctrine, dogma, guesswork, hypothesis, ideology, opinion, philosophy, postulate, presupposition, proposition, ratio, speculation, supposition, surmise, thesis, thought, untested opinion, view… …   Law dictionary

  • Theory X — ˌTheory ˈX noun [singular] HUMAN RESOURCES the theory that employees will not work well unless managers pay close attention to their work and control them by encouraging or threatening them * * * Theory X UK US noun [S] ► HR, MANAGEMENT the idea… …   Financial and business terms

  • Theory Y — ˌTheory ˈY noun [singular] HUMAN RESOURCES the theory that employees will generally work well and take responsibility for their own work, if they have the right conditions and rewards * * * Theory Y UK US noun [S] ► HR, MANAGEMENT the idea that… …   Financial and business terms

  • Theory Z — ˌTheory ˈZ noun [singular] HUMAN RESOURCES the theory that when employees are very involved in their organization and in making decisions, as in the Japanese style of management, they work better and produce more * * * Theory Z UK US noun [S] ►… …   Financial and business terms

  • theory — [thē′ə rē, thir′ē] n. pl. theories [< Fr or LL: Fr théorie < LL theoria < Gr theōria, a looking at, contemplation, speculation, theory < theōrein: see THEOREM] 1. Obs. a mental viewing; contemplation 2. a speculative idea or plan as… …   English World dictionary

  • theory — ► NOUN (pl. theories) 1) a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained. 2) an idea accounting for or justifying something. 3) a set of… …   English terms dictionary

  • theory — theory …   Philosophy dictionary

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