| English Dictionary |
TOPIC
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| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does topic mean?
• TOPIC (noun)
The noun TOPIC has 2 senses:
1. the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
2. some situation or event that is thought about
Familiarity information: TOPIC used as a noun is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
The subject matter of a conversation or discussion
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
Context example:
his letters were always on the theme of love
Hypernyms ("topic" is a kind of...):
content; message; subject matter; substance (what a communication that is about something is about)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "topic"):
bone of contention (the subject of a dispute)
precedent (a subject mentioned earlier (preceding in time))
head; question (the subject matter at issue)
keynote (the principal theme in a speech or literary work)
Derivation:
topical (of or relating to or arranged by topics)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Some situation or event that is thought about
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Synonyms:
Context example:
it is a matter for the police
Hypernyms ("topic" is a kind of...):
cognitive content; content; mental object (the sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "topic"):
area (a subject of study)
blind spot (a subject about which you are ignorant or prejudiced and fail to exercise good judgment)
remit (the topic that a person, committee, or piece of research is expected to deal with or has authority to deal with)
res adjudicata; res judicata (a matter already settled in court; cannot be raised again)
Derivation:
topical (of or relating to or arranged by topics)
Context examples
I am willing to amuse you, if I can, sir—quite willing; but I cannot introduce a topic, because how do I know what will interest you?
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
Other genetic and environmental effects and their interactions are important topics for future research.
(Researchers identify genetic links to educational attainment, NIH)
I must refer to one other topic before I close this chapter.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
“I have known him for some time,” said I, “but I never knew him do anything yet without a very good reason,” and with that our conversation drifted off on to other topics.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
He was to travel over the United States, with all expenses paid, and select whatever topics interested him.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
This self-administered instrument contains 15 items pertaining to topics such as stomach pain, headaches, dizziness, and trouble sleeping.
(Patient Health Questionnaire - 15 Item, NCI Thesaurus)
The solar eclipse of December 25 last month may have brought one of these topics into focus, and the second eclipse due in Cancer on January 10 will likely bring healing.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
You will soon have exhausted each favourite topic.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
This topic was discussed very happily, and others succeeded of similar moment, and passed away with similar harmony; but the evening did not close without a little return of agitation.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
A close observer might have gathered that the topic was distasteful; but the doctor carried it off gaily.
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
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