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.

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doctrine British  

/ ˈdɒktrɪn /

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• doctrines
  plural

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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

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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

That doctrine applies when you have relied on a promise and were worse off because you spent money or gave up time or opportunities, or relied on that promise to the detriment of your finances.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

In her ruling, the judge said there were two exceptions to that doctrine.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Tariffs of some sort are likely here to stay; the Donroe doctrine, not so much.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

"Constraining LLM development under a misunderstanding of fair use doctrine would thwart such creative and scientific progress while hindering American prosperity and economic mobility," the document read.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Pythagoras’s doctrine became the centerpiece of Western philosophy: all the universe was governed by ratios and shapes; the planets moved in heavenly spheres that made music as they turned.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

The Smithian doctrines of 1776 live mainly today between the covers of dusty books.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

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

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026

These branches adopted doctrines and systems to implement their portions of Assault Breaker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 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

Tempier abolished many Aristotelian doctrines that contradicted God’s omnipotence, such as, “God can not move the heavens in a straight line, because that would leave behind a vacuum.”

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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Related Words

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

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