studies

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of study.

   Recent studies link regular sleep to better memory.

   The university funded three new studies this year.

   Note

   Only the countable senses of study take this plural, and they point in different directions: pieces of research, an artist's practice works (studies of hands), and rooms set aside for reading and writing. The spelling follows the consonant-plus-y rule, so y becomes -ies. It is also identical to the present-tense verb (she studies), so the surrounding grammar, not the word itself, tells them apart.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of study.

   My sister studies birds in the coastal wetlands.

   The committee studies each proposal before it votes.

   Note

   The present-tense verb carries both of study's patterns. With an object, it means examining or learning something (she studies the map, he studies law). Without one, it usually means reviewing for an exam (she studies every night). Its spelling is shared with the plural noun, but a singular subject in front of it marks it as the verb.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   An academic discipline organized around a named subject area, as in media studies or religious studies.

   He enrolled in environmental studies at the state university.

   Gender studies draws on history, sociology, and literature.

   Note

   A plural in form that behaves as a singular name: "Technology studies is not yet well established," Kelvin Willoughby wrote in 1990. Like other names of disciplines, it takes a singular verb and usually no article, and it attaches to almost any subject, such as media, technology or gender. Because it is uncountable, it never means several projects. That job belongs to the ordinary plural.

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