thesis

«thesis» in Mova's school dictionary: a long piece of writing based on research, written for a… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (a thesis, theses)

meaning for a pupil

1) A thesis is a long piece of writing based on research, written for a university degree, such as a PhD. tree →

2) A thesis is the main idea or claim that a writer or speaker wants to prove: «My thesis is that school should start later». tree →

sense in the lessons

In English and essay writing, older pupils learn to write a «thesis statement»: one sentence that says what the essay will argue. In adult life, university students write a thesis at the end of their studies. Phrases: «thesis statement», «a PhD thesis», «to support a thesis».

examples

• My big sister is writing her thesis on bees. tree →
• Your thesis statement should come at the start of your essay. tree →
• His thesis is that dinosaurs were warm-blooded. tree →
• She spent three years on her PhD thesis. tree →
• The writer gives three reasons to support her thesis. tree →
• The professor read hundreds of theses. tree →

note

Plural: «theses» (pronounced «THEE-seez»). Formal word. Close words: «argument», «main claim». Opposite idea in debates: «antithesis».

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «thesis» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.