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

• theme
• matter
• subject
• question
• motif

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

These are similar to the topics the Biden-era FAA was looking at last year. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025

With athletes still waiting for their paydays, the topic remains a core issue. —Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

The system digs through news stories, social media posts and more, determining the topic of the conversations, clustering the topics to find both the hot-button issues and detect weak signals and then classifies all by micro and macro narratives. —Evan Clark, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2025

The topic of redistricting has been at the national forefront since Texas unveiled an aggressive plan to strip the Democrats of five congressional seats, threatening a nationwide gerrymandering arms race. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 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

Rhymes for topic

• tropic
• adrenocorticotropic
• anisotropic
• gonadotropic
• heterotopic
• kaleidoscopic
• ophthalmoscopic
• stereoscopic
• submicroscopic
• anthropic
• atopic
• ectopic

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)