topic

noun

top·​ic ˈtä-pik How to pronounce topic (audio)
1
a
: the subject of a discourse or of a section of a discourse
b
: a heading in an outlined argument or exposition
2
b
: one of the general forms of argument employed in probable reasoning

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 This brings us to a delicate topic: the short film categories. Clayton Davis, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 Within a year, Reddit began allowing comments and opening forums for topics like sports, politics, and programming—and one called NSFW, or not safe for work. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 At Thursday’s Netflix event, Cumberbatch was asked what topics the six-episode Eric, set to debut on the streamer later this year, tackles. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Those topics and more were addressed in the proposal, and some were adopted later that year by the conference. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 Talking about this made up animal (and an assortment of other imaginary species) allowed internet users to curse, discuss topics considered taboo by the algorithm, and criticize government officials and their policies without risking censorship. Christie Taylor, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2024 Her Advanced Placement economics course covers such topics as supply and demand, monetary policy, inflation, unemployment, gross domestic product, the peaks and recessions of the business cycle, fiscal policy and the Federal Reserve. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 In an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett on Wednesday night, Lemon spoke about his exchange with Musk and shared video excerpts from the 90 minute sit-down, in which Lemon asked Musk questions on an array of topics. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 Remember Me as Human dives deep on Walsh’s family life, and covers difficult topics, including the rape of her late Aunt Kathy, who had special needs, as well as the suicide of Wanda’s father and Dale's Alzheimer's diagnosis. Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'topic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of topic was circa 1569

Dictionary Entries Near topic

Cite this Entry

“Topic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

topic

noun
top·​ic ˈtäp-ik How to pronounce topic (audio)
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)

More from Merriam-Webster on topic

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