hobbyhorse

noun

ˈhä-bē-ˌhȯrs How to pronounce hobbyhorse (audio)
Definition of hobbyhorsenext
as in hobby
an activity outside of one's regular occupation that is engaged in primarily for pleasure oil painting became the hobbyhorse of her long years of retirement

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hobbyhorse Throw these men off their hobbyhorses, off the tracks of their discourse. — James Parker, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2025 Never mind the crime issue or that favorite Trumpian hobbyhorse, immigration and the border. — Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024 Riding clubs and hobbyhorse camps foster those close connections. — Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobbyhorse
  1. hobby
  2. pursuit
  3. sport
  4. avocation
  5. amusement
Noun
  • Golf wasn’t just a hobby for Richard Berle growing up.
    — Michael LoRé, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Every Glimpse Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have Shared Into Life with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet The fruit-picking photo may hint that Meghan's children are helping her with her hobby of jam-making.
    — Meredith Kile, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of hobby
Noun
  • But nothing was going to stand in the way of her pursuit of motherhood.
    — Janine Rubenstein, People.com, 18 Mar. 2025
  • As a result, your attention is diverted from your growth and innovation wish list, replaced by the relentless pursuit of cost reductions.
    — Seamus Smith, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of pursuit
Noun
  • Beyond these accolades, her journey from a competitive swimmer to a respected sports administrator and minister highlights her lifelong commitment to using sports as a means of empowerment and societal progress.
    — Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • He’s covered every sport imaginable, from Little League to the World Series to the Olympics.
    — David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of sport
Noun
  • These avocations can take many shapes—traveling, golf, time with family, snowboarding, knitting, hunting, gardening, fishing, church choir, college football, crossword puzzles, theater, cycling, and walking.
    — Wes Moss, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
  • What began as an avocation turned into a serious occupation, as Fox Solomon turned to documenting the remnants of segregation visible in Chattanooga and across the South.
    — Christina Cacouris, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2024
Definition of avocation
Noun
  • While getting a little too liberal with his wife's lorazepam prescription, Timothy Ratliff, the secret-keeping patriarch on this season of the White Lotus, groggily joins his family while wearing just a robe — then accidentally flashes them all to their amusement and/or horror.
    — Alexandra Schonfeld, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The hour unfolds through a big location, features dozens of extras, and its focus keeps shifting between the cops, the teachers, and various groups of students who are having wildly disparate responses to the murder, from overwhelming grief to juvenile amusement.
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of amusement

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Cite this Entry

“Hobbyhorse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobbyhorse. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

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