theorize
Americanverb (used without object)
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theorizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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theorized,
past participle, past
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theorizing
present participle
verb (used with object)
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theorizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
theorized,
past participle, past
-
theorizing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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theorizesimple
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theorizessimple
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have theorizedperfect
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has theorizedperfect
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am theorizingprogressive
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are theorizingprogressive
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is theorizingprogressive
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have been theorizingperfect progressive
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has been theorizingperfect progressive
Past
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theorizedsimple
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had theorizedperfect
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was theorizingprogressive
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were theorizingprogressive
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had been theorizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of theorize
From the Medieval Latin word theōrizāre, dating back to 1630–40. See theory, -ize
Explanation
When you theorize, you come up with an explanation for how something happens, based on ideas that can be tested. You may theorize that your dog is afraid of loud noises after you see her cower under the bed during fireworks and thunderstorms. When someone theorizes, they're not just making a wild guess. They're forming a theory, or a testable explanation that they can confirm through experimentation. After a scientist theorizes and the theory sticks around and is tested again and again in a rigorous way, it becomes an "established theory," like the theory of gravity or plate tectonics theory. The Greek root theorein means "to consider, speculate, or look at."
Vocabulary lists containing theorize
Think Tank: Thought-Provoking Vocabulary
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The Martian Chronicles
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Tracking Trash
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Your son’s job is not to theorize about their reasons and whether the insurer is legitimate or not, but to present enough evidence to be made whole.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Reappropriation works, the researchers theorize, because it signals confidence and humor on the part of the brand, especially when the insult seems mild or unjustified.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
When faced with a particularly puzzling case and not much evidence to go on, Sherlock Holmes once said, “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.”
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
When they do attack, it is probably because they mistake the human for prey such as a seal or sea lion, scientists theorize.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
Scientists even theorize that if you could take the position, speed, trajectory, and mass of every object in the universe and feed it into a supercomputer, you could predict the future of everything.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
That likely leaves Bitcoin at the mercy of the “Tinkerbell Effect,” which theorizes that its value is more tied to the belief of its holders than the mechanics of the market.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
This “digital lock-in” forced more screen time and distraction into the classroom, he theorizes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Gearhart theorizes there’s enough content for at least three distinct viewings of the production, depending on what actors the audience chooses to follow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025
In the song directed to Drake's family, Lamar addresses each of Drake's family members including who Lamar theorizes is the Canadian rapper's secret daughter.
From Salon ● May 10, 2024
“In this one, it theorizes that dragons aren’t magical at all but are just normal animals that ancient people thought were magical. And the legends persist to this day.”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Since at least the 1960s, economists have theorized that most people should annuitize a portion of their wealth by handing it to an insurance company in exchange for a lifelong monthly payment.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
Please forgive this exercise in premise-granting, but this is where the theorized plot against Pratt goes from incoherent to illogical.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026
In part, he theorized that was because “the rising cost of affordable housing has really only become an issue of visible concern over the last few years.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
It was also, as Mr. Warden theorized, history’s first “inside to outside” war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Maybe, she theorized, the girl's parents owned a plant nursery.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
"We don't spend a lot of time talking about AGI," Pineau said, dismissing the theorizing as a distraction.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Here he is as arresting theorizing about the origins of “The Goon Show,” which he traces to the trauma of World War II, as he is contemplating the quality of Liza Minnelli’s eyelashes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
But the delight is in the theorizing, in the layering of lore and anticipation.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2025
Investigations into Combs, his high-profile social circle and his popular white parties have led to rampant conspiracy theorizing online, with many speculating about A-listers supposedly involved in or victimized by his alleged schemes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2024
Another is that his reference to an experimentum crucis is an implicit nod to Pascal’s Puy-de-Dôme experiment: Pascal’s experiment had been preceded by earlier experiments and earlier theorizing, but in a way that was irrelevant.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
