topic

noun

top·​ic ˈtä-pik 

1

a

: the subject of a discourse or of a section of a discourse

b

: a heading in an outlined argument or exposition

2

a

: argument, reason

b

: one of the general forms of argument employed in probable reasoning

Synonyms

• content
• matter
• motif
• motive
• question
• subject
• theme

Examples of topic in a Sentence

He is comfortable discussing a wide range of topics.

topics such as health and fitness

Recent Examples on the Web

Gino Filippone was at a dinner with seasoned real-estate brokers this spring when the obvious topic came up: the NAR settlement. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024

News of the death toll sent shock waves through Chinese social media, although the topic ranked only 11th on Weibo, China’s X-like platform, which is subject to strict internet censorship. —Peter Guo, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024

Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans. —Kelly Brant, arkansasonline.com, 6 Nov. 2024

Only Congress has the power to completely ban fracking, but presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris see it as a topic that resonates with voters in the Keystone State. —Sean Keane, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin Topica Topics (work by Aristotle), from Greek Topika, from topika, neuter plural of topikos of a place, of a topos, from topos place, topos

First Known Use

circa 1569, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Phrases Containing topic

• sub-topic
• topic of discussion
• topic sentence

Kids Definition

topic

noun

top·​ic ˈtäp-ik 

1

: a heading in an outline of a subject or explanation

2

: the subject or a section of a subject (as of a speech or a report)