ˈɪsjuː ˈɪʃ(j)u ˈmætə ˈmætɚ ˈsʌb.dʒɛkt ˈtɒpɪk ˈtɑpɪk some situation or event that is thought about he kept drifting off the topic he had been thinking about the subject for several years it is a matter for the police