topic
Americannoun
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a subject of conversation or discussion.
to provide a topic for discussion.
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the subject or theme of a discourse or of one of its parts.
- Synonyms:
- subject matter, thesis
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Rhetoric, Logic. a general field of considerations from which arguments can be drawn.
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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.
noun
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a subject or theme of a speech, essay, book, etc
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a subject of conversation; item of discussion
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(in rhetoric, logic, etc) a category or class of arguments or ideas which may be drawn on to furnish proofs
Synonym Usage
See subject.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing topic
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Keystone Exams: English Composition Glossary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The reshaping of alliances around the future European fighter is a key topic at Farnborough.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“We suspect this topic could get air time during the upcoming earnings call.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
I understand that the Reconstruction Amendments might not feel like the most compelling discussion topic for happy hour.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
So far, Moen has found that existing research on the topic is fragmented.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The answer is always somewhere between the two extremes, and the balance between the two has to be struck afresh with each new topic.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The academic’s perennial quest for interdisciplinarity, which until now has mainly meant listening to talks on topics you know nothing about, would come within reach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Other sensitive topics are what role it determines carbon capture technology can play in businesses or whether they can acquire carbon credits from programmes outside the EU that would be counted towards their emissions reductions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
What happened in the end was a lesson in many things, first among them whether people whose honesty is questionable on one or two topics can be trusted on anything else.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
In the same meeting, the BBC bosses also fielded questions about other topics including long-running attempts to recover £200,000 from disgraced former news presenter Huw Edwards.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
I tune back in, and Roger is saying something like “with a list of suggested topics, okay?”
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.