1. A provisional or temporary theory used as a basis for further investigation or action, subject to revision as new evidence emerges
The detective's working theory is that the suspect entered through the back door.
A teoria de trabalho do detetive é que o suspeito entrou pela porta dos fundos.
2. In academia and research, a hypothesis or conceptual framework adopted to guide initial study before formal hypothesis testing
Our working theory suggests that climate change significantly impacts migration patterns in this bird species.
Nossa teoria de trabalho sugere que a mudança climática impacta significativamente os padrões de migração nesta espécie de pássaro.