topic

American  

[top-ik] / ˈtɒp ɪk /

noun

• topics
  plural

1. a subject of conversation or discussion.

   to provide a topic for discussion.

2. the subject or theme of a discourse or of one of its parts.

   Synonyms:

   subject matter, thesis

3. Rhetoric, Logic. a general field of considerations from which arguments can be drawn.

4. Also called theme. Linguistics. the part of a sentence that announces the item about which the rest of the sentence communicates information, often signaled by initial position in the sentence or by a grammatical marker.

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topic British  

/ ˈtɒpɪk /

noun

1. a subject or theme of a speech, essay, book, etc

2. a subject of conversation; item of discussion

3. (in rhetoric, logic, etc) a category or class of arguments or ideas which may be drawn on to furnish proofs

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Synonym Usage

See subject.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• topics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of topic

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin topica (plural), from Greek (tà) topiká name of work by Aristotle (literally, “(things) pertaining to commonplaces),” equivalent to tóp(os) “commonplace” + -ika, neuter plural of -ikos -ic; see topo-

Explanation

A topic is a subject. It's what you're discussing or what a newspaper article is about, the theme of a documentary, or the focus of your term paper. Green energy, the Oscar nominees, what's on the lunch menu, boxers or briefs — these are all considered topics. If something is a "hot topic," then everybody is talking about it. If it's a "topic for discussion," then someone wants to have a serious conversation about it. If you're at a dinner party, you can talk about all kinds of topics with other guests. But to keep peace at the table, avoid bringing up controversial political or religious topics.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

topic topics

But whether high-profile technology companies should devote so much of their extra cash to stock buybacks tends to be a topic of heated debate on Wall Street, and that’s true in Micron’s case as well.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

No-one needs my half knowledge on the topic.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

The Latin Grammy-winning artist has long championed feminist causes and challenged sexual harassment in the entertainment industry — a topic central to her 2024 Netflix documentary, “Mon Laferte, Te Amo.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

The topic was proposed by two students who have since graduated: Marta Miszczak from the Dietetics program and Karolina Kłosowska-Buryło from the Pharmacy program.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

I know he is changing the topic on purpose, and I’m glad to go along with it.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari

The Wealth Adviser Briefing covers topics of interest to wealth managers, financial planners and other advisers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

And if you take on these topics from a place of responsibility, then it forces you to go educate yourself, to look into things, and to be sensitive about whatever you’re talking about.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

UK academics have contributed to CGTRI-funded projects on topics including AI, cyber-security, covert communications systems and steganography, which means hiding a secret message or file inside an ordinary message or object.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

He often writes about sanctions, foreign bribery, illicit finance, competition, trade, data privacy and a range of other topics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

The vicissitudes of aging began to crowd out the more controversial topics.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• affair
• argument
• business
• case
• field
• issue
• material
• matter
• point
• problem
• proposition
• question
• subject
• theme