topic

American  

[top-ik] / ˈtɒp ɪk /

noun

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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Related Words

See subject.

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; topo-

Example Sentences

Security is an especially delicate topic now, as Mexico gears up to host World Cup matches in June and July.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

“When money feels like an off-limits topic to kids, they might fill in the gaps themselves, and not always accurately.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

But just because a topic is controversial doesn’t mean that it should be dismissed.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

Much of the debate on this topic has stirred fears that individual investors will be snookered.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The topic of disagreement is unknown, but likely concerned species formation, variation, and heredity.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

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