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• hobby
  hobby

  noun

  an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.
• Hobby
  Hobby

  noun

  Oveta Culp 1905–1995, U.S. newspaper publisher and government official: first director of Women's Army Corps 1942–45; first Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare 1953–55.

hobby

¹ American  

[hob-ee] / ˈhɒb i /

noun

• hobbies
  plural

1. an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.

   Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving.

2. a child's hobbyhorse.

3. Archaic. a small horse.

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idioms

1. ride a hobby, to concern oneself excessively with a favorite notion or activity. Also ride a hobbyhorse.

hobby ² American  

[hob-ee] / ˈhɒb i /

noun

• hobbies
  plural

1. a small Old World falcon, Falco subbuteo, formerly flown at such small game as larks.

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Hobby ³ American  

[hob-ee] / ˈhɒb i /

noun

1. Oveta Culp 1905–1995, U.S. newspaper publisher and government official: first director of Women's Army Corps 1942–45; first Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare 1953–55.

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hobby ¹ British  

/ ˈhɒbɪ /

noun

1. an activity pursued in spare time for pleasure or relaxation

2. archaic a small horse or pony

3. short for hobbyhorse

4. an early form of bicycle, without pedals

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hobby ² British  

/ ˈhɒbɪ /

noun

1. any of several small Old World falcons, esp the European Falco subbuteo, formerly used in falconry

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hobbyist
  noun
• hobbyless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hobbies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hobby¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English hoby(n), probably from Robin, or Robert ( cf. hob ²), used as horse's name, as in dobbin

Origin of hobby²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English hoby, from Middle French hobé, variant of Middle French, Old French hobel (compare French hobereau ), probably noun derivative of hobeler “to skirmish, harass,” perhaps from Middle Dutch hob(b)elen “to turn, roll”; compare Dutch hobbelen “to rock, jolt” ( cf. hobble)

Explanation

A hobby is an activity that you do in your spare time for fun. Your hobby may be putting together model train sets and driving your mom crazy from all the noise. In the 13th century the word hobby referred to a small horse or a pony. It later came to describe a toy horse — a hobbyhorse. It’s from the hobbyhorse that the word’s modern sense of “favorite pastime” evolved. A hobby is something that you do for fun — not money — and you typically do it fairly regularly. Collecting stamps, growing roses, reading — any of these can be hobbies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hobby Hobby hobbies

While it’s all well and good to connect with people over a mutual hobby, online discourse provides a much more fertile foundation than small talk.

From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026

It might feel bad seeing other kids being shuttled from hobby to hobby, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing a bad job as a parent because yours must pick one at a time.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

It also arranged his credit card statements in a spreadsheet and helped him pursue his hobby of collecting ceramic bowls, a task which strikes me as having a fairly small community of potential users.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Solomon’s hobby of DJing had drawn criticism and negative headlines, personalizing the drama at the bank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

I saw her wandering in the gardens with a small boy, Maxim’s father, clattering behind her on his hobby horse.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

"Hobby spending is a small amount of overall retail sales, but it's a good gauge of whether consumers have any money leftover in their budgets."

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

The soccer-themed balloons in the lobby and over the small lobby bar reminded me of the ones you pick up at Hobby Lobby before a kids’ end-of-season party.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Polling from the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston also found that Republican primary voters see both candidates as equally strong for the general election context.

From Salon ● May 20, 2026

Airports in New York, Atlanta, New Orleans and Houston have experienced the highest percentage of callouts, according to DHS, with nearly half the TSA workforce at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport calling out.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 25, 2026

“I know this view. That drainage ditch...This is my mom’s old neighborhood, where she grew up. Hobby Airport is over that way.”

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

I’ve developed some new hobbies, spend time helping both sets of parents and take care of our household.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

"I have never done so many hobbies in my life," she said.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

This is just the autumn itinerary for a wild year of letting themselves chase hobbies and passions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

“Your agent will work 24/7 on your behalf to improve your relationships, health, career, finances, home management, hobbies and more,” he wrote.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

He asked what grade I was in, what sort of hobbies I enjoyed, did I own a dog or a cat—the usual stuff.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Related Words

• amusement
• art
• avocation
• craft
• diversion
• fad
• fun
• obsession
• specialty
• sport