theorem

American  

[thee-er-uhm, theer-uhm] / ˈθi ər əm, ˈθɪər əm /

noun

1. Mathematics. a theoretical proposition, statement, or formula embodying something to be proved from other propositions or formulas.

2. a rule or law, especially one expressed by an equation or formula.

3. Logic. a proposition that can be deduced from the premises or assumptions of a system.

4. an idea, belief, method, or statement generally accepted as true or worthwhile without proof.

---

theorem British  

/ ˈθɪərəm, ˌθɪərəˈmætɪk, ˌθɪəˈrɛmɪk /

noun

1. maths logic a statement or formula that can be deduced from the axioms of a formal system by means of its rules of inference

---

theorem Scientific  

/ thē′ər-əm,thîr′əm /

1. A mathematical statement whose truth can be proved on the basis of a given set of axioms or assumptions.

---

theorem Cultural  

1. A statement in mathematics that is not a basic assumption, such as an axiom, but is deduced (see deduction) from basic assumptions.

---

Other Word Forms

• theorematic adjective
• theorematically adverb

Etymology

Origin of theorem

1545–55; < Late Latin theōrēma < Greek theṓrēma spectacle, hence, subject for contemplation, thesis (to be proved), equivalent to theōrē-, variant stem of theōreîn to view + -ma noun suffix

Example Sentences

A fundamental and powerful concept in probability is Bayes’s theorem, developed by the 18th-century statistician Thomas Bayes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

AI can’t sit with a student after class and talk through a complex theorem until the child finally gets it.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

Which means that while mathematically true, the theorem is "misleading", they say.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2024

He and Qin found, however, that this is not correct because the theorem does not take into account, mathematically, that photon electric fields can rotate.

From Science Daily • May 23, 2024

Here the theorem provides the theoretical support for the fact that the measurements of any quantity tend to follow a normal bell-shaped “error curve” centered on the true value of the quantity being measured.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Related Words

• axiom