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

Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans. —Richard Davenport, arkansasonline.com, 3 Feb. 2025

Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team Andrew J. Campa, reporter Carlos Lozano, news editor Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2025

The Fighting Irish’s playoff push became a hot topic of conversation late in the trial. —Megan Crepeau, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2025

Reuters reported on Friday that the National Security Council hosted discussions this week on the topic and that the White House was exploring legal authorities that Trump could use to issue an executive order to end USAID's independence. —Jonathan Landay, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025

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)