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

The principle of casseur-payeur – those who break have to pay – has been an impassioned topic that has dominated French media this week.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

What’s chilling about these interviews is how they don’t feel like whistleblowing but rather a fact-finding inquiry with available explainers who betray little affect or remorse, even when the topic of personal doubt arises.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Apocalyptic eschatology has long been an interest of Thiel’s, who has made the Antichrist a central topic of secretive lectures he’s given behind closed doors.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

He recently published a book on the topic titled, “How to Help Your Parents as They Age: A Financial Planner’s Guide to Caregiving.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Seems she’s picked an excellent topic, especially since Mrs. Zamick is the main judge for the forensics competition.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

The programme includes face-to-face workshops and informal peer support social groups and covers a range of topics, including managing anxiety and stress and boosting self-esteem.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

A former NFL player named John Urschel decided to do some light reading this week, and for him that meant leafing through the latest math papers from OpenAI about topics such as the Riemann hypothesis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

But instead of preaching to the choir, he contends with society’s gray areas, never offering a solution — or even his own opinion — on the difficult topics at hand.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Some of you may know there are two topics I often revisit in my column.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Throughout the room were displays on different summer-related topics.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

Related Words

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