doctrine

American  

[dok-trin] / ˈdɒk trɪn /

noun

• doctrines
  plural

1. a particular principle, position, or policy taught or advocated, as of a religion or government.

   Catholic doctrines;

   the Monroe Doctrine.

   Synonyms:

   belief, precept, theory, dogma, tenet

2. something that is taught; teachings collectively.

   religious doctrine.

3. a body or system of teachings relating to a particular subject.

   the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

---

doctrine British  

/ ˌdɒktrɪˈnælɪtɪ, ˈdɒktrɪn, dɒkˈtraɪnəl /

noun

1. a creed or body of teachings of a religious, political, or philosophical group presented for acceptance or belief; dogma

2. a principle or body of principles that is taught or advocated

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• doctrinality
  noun
• doctrinism
  noun
• doctrinist
  noun
• self-doctrine
  noun
• doctrinal
  adjective
• doctrinally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• doctrines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of doctrine

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin doctrīna “teaching,” from doct(o)r doctor + -īna -ine ²

Explanation

A doctrine is a set of beliefs. The word comes from the Latin doctor for “teacher,” so think of a doctrine is the teachings of a school, religion, or political group. The Monroe Doctrine is the policy that President Monroe introduced in 1823 to limit European influence in the Americas. It has been a major part of U.S. foreign policy, but was revamped in 2013 by Secretary of State John Kerry in the Kerry Doctrine. Doctrine and doctor derive from the same Latin word, docere, which means "to teach": doctor means "teacher," and doctrina means "teaching, learning."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

doctrine doctrines

But the decree represents a significant loosening of decades-old communist doctrine.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

To keep up, defense manufacturers and military commanders alike have to rethink how they operate—and what part of the traditional equipment and doctrine fits in the new way of war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

United States, a 2018 case involving cellphone tower locating data, Chatrie made clear that the third-party doctrine just doesn’t make sense when it comes to smartphone data privacy.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

Recent polls have found that a majority of Americans support the doctrine — 69% according to a Quinnipiac University poll.

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026

The central doctrine of liberation theology was that the Catholic Church had an obligation to provide a “preferential option for the poor.”

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

In the two decades since, Purcell has become one of election law’s most invoked doctrines.

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026

Florian Galleri, a historian specialising in contemporary military studies and nuclear doctrines, also warned that Macron would have to tread carefully, pointing to his low approval ratings one year before the end of his presidency.

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

The writ of habeas corpus, as powerful as it is—and it is—has become more and more difficult to use thanks to layers of legal doctrines lately.

From Slate ● Feb. 17, 2026

From Monroe to Donroe, foreign policy doctrines matter to US presidents.

From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026

The Platonists’ doctrines of recurrence and reminiscence were not the real problem, however; both were endorsed by Proclus, who still wrote, as the Greeks did, in terms of discovery.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• attitude
• axiom
• belief
• concept
• creed
• dogma
• precept
• proposition
• regulation
• rule
• statement
• teaching
• tenet
• tradition