topic sentence

noun

a sentence that expresses the essential idea of a paragraph or larger section, usually appearing at the beginning.

Also, topical sentence.

Origin

1915-20

Examples from the web for topic sentence

The essay is organized into several paragraphs, each of which begins with a tidy topic sentence.
People talk for hours without uttering a single topic sentence.
Model strategies for writing a topic sentence for narrative writing.
Distinguish between a thesis statement and a topic sentence.
Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that highlights one qualification.
Avoid writing that lumps together unrelated information without a strong topic sentence.
Most paragraphs are indented and contain a topic sentence and supporting sentences.
Conventional paragraph structure requires that the topic sentence be presented first, followed by connected, coherent sentences.
Select a topic sentence, or invent one if it is missing.
Specifically, writers generally rely on inductive reasoning to provide the proper support for the topic sentence of a paragraph.

British Dictionary definitions for topic sentence

noun

a sentence in a paragraph that expresses the main idea or point of the whole paragraph

topic sentence in Culture

The main sentence in a paragraph, often the first sentence. It briefly conveys the essential idea of the paragraph.