pastime
Americannoun
-
pastimes
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
Tennis is hardly a national pastime in the Philippines, ranking far behind basketball and soccer to the archipelago’s population of roughly 120 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Advocates say an offbeat pastime can tempt a glassy-eyed recruiter to reread your application.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The pastime suffered during World War Two and although the sport resumed, by the 1950s stocks of tuna were on the wane as commercial fishing technology developed.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Baseball might no longer be the national pastime, but it’s a part of American culture, with fans of every political stripe in every state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The trouble was that I'd moved to Paris completely unprepared for my new pastime.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
Backyard bird feeding is one of our country’s most popular pastimes.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Bowling was once one of America’s most popular pastimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Kopke, who has suggested this year will be his last time participating, has likened the popular interest in his cheese-rolling escapades to the pastimes of ancient civilisations.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
While we have counseled that speculating on earnings reports is gambling, it remains one of the most prevalent pastimes in the stock and options market.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
Now they were off fishing, playing ball, indulging in all the usual summer pastimes during this brief holiday from school.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
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.
