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)
-
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
-
had theorizedperfect
-
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
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The Martian Chronicles
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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
While elitists criticize and theorize about the poor, Robert L. Woodson Sr. looked for successes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
She can imagine, she can theorize, she can try to do justice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2025
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
"Remember too, that theory always comes after practice. Act first, theorize later; that's also a formula, a devastatingly effective one!"
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
She theorizes that an overhaul would spare people already receiving benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
This “digital lock-in” forced more screen time and distraction into the classroom, he theorizes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Trump may be trying to ease the process by picking a candidate most of Wall Street can get behind, theorizes Jake Schurmeier, portfolio manager at Harbor Capital Advisors.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Like the game, “Twenty-Sided Tavern” theorizes that stories can be at their most powerful when they are not passive, when we as audience members have a role to play and invitation to interact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
That's what he does all day long: He theorizes.
From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements
The 2021 documentary “Roadrunner,” for instance, was controversial for the way it theorized about his actions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
He theorized that his initial test was flagged because he completed it very quickly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
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
"We synthesize unique nanoscale building blocks and stack them into interesting structures. In this case, we were able to stabilize these theorized transitional structures and demonstrate important quantum optical properties."
From Science Daily ● May 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
The constant theorizing about these breaths alone is enough to send the world into a frenzy.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2025
But a couple of developments this week got us theorizing.
From Slate ● Jun. 7, 2025
Being told nothing more of the problem in Weep than that it was “the shadow of a dark time,” the only real clue they had to go on in their theorizing was...themselves.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
