How to Use in theory in a Sentence

in theory

idiom

• There isn’t a game that was scheduled to, in theory, give the Cards an easy win.
  — The Courier-Journal, 3 Jan. 2024
• This is, at least in theory, what And Just Like That… is supposed to be about.
  — Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 20 July 2023
• The concert is like the last thing that in theory should happen.
  — Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2024
• And right now the three of them are running it together, in theory.
  — Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2023
• This sounds cozy in theory, until you're asked to read that one super long book for the hundredth time.
  — Esther Carlstone, Parents, 6 Oct. 2023
• Enough depth, in theory, to not have to use a high draft pick on an offensive tackle.
  — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2023
• At least in theory, there is plenty of time for the dynamics of the primary to shift.
  — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 24 June 2023
• The network of sensors could — in theory — warn that the hull was failing and give the pilot enough time to escape the crushing pressures of the deep.
  — William J. Broad, New York Times, 10 June 2024
• The salt in the water lends it a buoyancy that would, in theory, keep one’s head up without effort.
  — Fran Hoepfner, Curbed, 8 Aug. 2023
• Anyone who has flown from Burbank to Oakland can attest to the fact that there’s plenty of room to spread out, in theory.
  — Christine Lennon, Sunset Magazine, 15 May 2024
• That also means that, in theory, two members of the same party could have gone head to head in November.
  — Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
• Not having him on the roster for the first few weeks or months of the season could, in theory, help his long-term development.
  — Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2024
• Changing the rules, could, in theory let bills that have a majority of support get a vote.
  — Maryalice Parks, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2023
• If an embryo has all the rights of a person, then in theory, destroying it could be murder.
  — Emily Bazelon, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024
• That's a boon for still photography in theory, but, in this instance, the focus ring is loose to the point of being sloppy.
  — PCMAG, 6 June 2024
• The current expiring deal also found the two linked in theory.
  — John Benson, cleveland, 28 July 2023
• Swift has a concert in Tokyo on Saturday night as part of her Eras Tour, but should in theory have enough time to make it in time for the game thanks to the 17-hour time difference.
  — Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2024
• These guys were there, in theory, mostly to carry their boss’ water.
  — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024
• The elusive dragon could, in theory, be mounted if he could ever be found.
  — Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 29 July 2024
• While that seems smart in theory, the water may have loosened the adhesives used in the rings—like birch bark resin—and caused the metal settings to expand and contract.
  — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 4 May 2023
• Working out in the morning sounds great in theory, but becomes a little less…appealing the first time your alarm goes off before the sun peeks out.
  — Alexa Tucker, SELF, 10 Jan. 2024
• The patient had taken this drug for years and been fine, but at least in theory, this unusual type of reaction could start at any point.
  — Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 6 July 2023
• The House was paralyzed without a speaker and in theory can start working again.
  — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Oct. 2023
• The whole idea of the EU’s new rules for the internet is to make the world’s most powerful platforms more like Brussels—a place that (at least in theory) respects rules and human rights.
  — Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 11 Oct. 2023
• Spring has traditionally been the season in which we’re supposed to sort our lives out, which does make sense in theory.
  — Daisy Jones, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2024
• This fealty to corporate progress could, in theory, be a bummer—but the Alien films have always managed to be a pretty good time.
  — Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2024
• That process could in theory move fast in the House, where leaders can exert more control over the floor and ram legislation through rapidly.
  — Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024
• The water droplets dry in the air, leaving behind a salty brine, which in theory would mix with the low-altitude stratocumulus clouds.
  — Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024
• The cuts could be paid for, at least in theory, with a new 10 percent tariff on all imports to the United States that Trump has called for, which could raise hundreds of billions in revenue.
  — Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2023
• The alliance in theory meant that Travis County, home to the growing metro area of Austin, could provide more care to low-income patients cheaper than other big cities in the state.
  — Rachel Cohrs Reprints, STAT, 2 Jan. 2024

Last Updated: 21 Nov 2024