From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthesisthe‧sis /ˈθiːsɪs/ ●○○ AWL noun (plural theses /-siːz/) [countable] 1 SECa long piece of writing about a particular subject that you do as part of an advanced university degree such as an MA or a PhD Cynthia’s still working on her thesis.graduate/master’s/doctoral thesis He wrote his doctoral thesis on contemporary French literature.2 formalIDEA an idea or opinion about something, that you discuss in a formal way and give examples for Their main thesis was that the rise in earnings was due to improvements in education.3 American English in writing, the thesis is the sentence or group of sentences which state what the main idea of an essay is a paragraph introducing your thesis statement
Examples from the Corpus
thesis• The book seems to have no central thesis.• There is a short but cheerful thesis to be written on this aspect of the production.• Whatever the reason, however, our examination of the evidence gives little support for either thesis.• To the extent that legitimate authorities have power over us, the pre-emption thesis governs our right attitude to them.• You might even end up starting on another project with a new thesis adviser.• She rejects the thesis that the Shoah was unique.• The ethical basis for extending effective property rights in the public treasury to officials is overlooked in the Niskanen-type thesis.graduate/master’s/doctoral thesis• He really took the matter to heart and finally wrote his Master's thesis on the subject.• The last quarter will be dedicated to the final preparation and submission of the master's thesis.main thesis• His main thesis is that the empirical evidence does not validate the instrumental account.Origin thesis (1300-1400) Latin Greek, “act of laying down”, from tithenai “to put, lay down” 