top ‧ ic S3 W2 AC /ˈtɒpɪk $ ˈtɑː-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: Topica 'Topics' , book by the ancient Greek thinker Aristotle, from Greek Topika , from topikos 'of a place, of a useful quotation' , from topos 'place, useful quotation' ]
a subject that people talk or write about:
The environment is a popular topic these days.
topic of
We shall return to the topic of education in Chapter 7.
topic of conversation/debate etc
The wedding has been the only topic of conversation for weeks.
The main topic for discussion will be the proposed new supermarket.
a wide range of topics
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ phrases
▪ a topic of conversation
Her favourite topic of conversation is herself.
▪ a topic of discussion/debate
The issue is a topic of great debate in the record industry.
■ adjectives
▪ the main topic
The main topics covered are finance, health and leisure.
▪ an important topic
The legal team will discuss a number of important topics.
▪ a hot topic (=one that a lot of people are discussing or arguing about)
Gangs and drugs are the hot topics in this district.
▪ a controversial topic (=one that causes a lot of disagreement, because many people have strong opinions about it)
Abortion is one of the most controversial topics in America today.
▪ a sensitive topic (=one that must be dealt with very carefully, because it may offend people)
It is unusual for a judge to speak publicly about a sensitive topic such as religion.
■ verbs
▪ cover a topic
The book covers such topics as business strategy and marketing.
▪ discuss a topic
We discussed a range of topics.
▪ raise/bring up a topic (=start talking about it)
It’s still a very difficult topic to raise.
▪ leave a topic (=stop talking about it)
Before we leave this topic, may I add one more thing.