pastime
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of pastime
1480–90; earlier pas ( s ) e tyme, translation of Middle French passe-temps
Explanation
A pastime is any hobby or activity that you do to pass the time. Usually, people enjoy their pastimes. When baseball was more popular, it was called the "national pastime," because so many people enjoyed watching or playing it. Baseball is still a major pastime, as are many other sports. Other pastimes include listening to music, playing music, watching TV, playing video games, playing with your dog, and any kind of hobby. Whenever you're awake and not working, you're probably enjoying a pastime.
Vocabulary lists containing pastime
Baseball: A Lexicon
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Words for the World Series
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This Week in Words: November 11 - 17, 2017
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When it came time to pick the bowling-alley surface for their new home, Ryane said, they both gravitated toward the aptly named hue America’s Pastime.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Each victory spurred him on to ever-greater heights, culminating in his magnum opus - a sprawling double album full of classics like Pastime Paradise, Sir Duke, Isn't She Lovely and As.
From BBC • Jul. 14, 2022
In these days of dinnertime darkness and fall-semester academic commitments, the National Pastime has become the National Past-Your-Bedtime.
From Washington Times • Oct. 25, 2018
It also publishes a regular journal, The National Pastime.
From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2017
And in fact—maybe in fact—Samir was part of a secret chess club, the Brotherhood of the Checkered Pastime.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
