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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