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# hypothesis

noun (a hypothesis, hypotheses)

«hypothesis» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (science) An idea or guess that explains something and that you can test with an experiment or observation. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hypothesis/#m1)
2. (formal) Any idea suggested as a starting point for thinking, which may or may not be true. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hypothesis/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons it is a key step of a fair test: question, hypothesis (prediction with reasons), experiment, results, conclusion. It tells the reader that something is not yet proven. Phrases: test a hypothesis, form a hypothesis, the hypothesis was supported.

### Examples

- My hypothesis is that plants grow faster in sunlight. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hypothesis/#x1)
- We tested our hypothesis with a fair test. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hypothesis/#x2)
- The results did not support the hypothesis. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hypothesis/#x3)
- A good hypothesis can be proved wrong by an experiment. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hypothesis/#x4)
- Scientists made a new hypothesis after the surprise result. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hypothesis/#x5)
- Write your hypothesis before you start the experiment. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hypothesis/#x6)

### Note

Plural hypotheses (say hy-POTH-uh-seez). Adjective: hypothetical. Trap: a hypothesis is not the same as a fact or a theory; a scientific theory is a well-tested explanation, not a guess.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «hypothesis» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/hypothesis/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«hypothesis» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/hypothesis.html) on Mova free.