hobby

[ hob-ee ]

/ ˈhɒb i /

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noun, plural hob·bies.

an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation: Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving.

a child's hobbyhorse.

Archaic. a small horse.

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Idioms about hobby

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

Origin of hobby

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English hoby(n), probably for Robin, or Robert (cf. hob²), used as horse's name, as in dobbin

OTHER WORDS FROM hobby

hob·by·ist, nounhob·by·less, adjective

Words nearby hobby

hobble, hobblebush, hobbledehoy, hobble skirt, Hobbs, hobby, hobby farmer, hobbyhorse, hobbyist, hobday, hobgoblin

Other definitions for hobby (2 of 3)

hobby²

[ hob-ee ]

/ ˈhɒb i /

noun, plural hob·bies.

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

Origin of hobby

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

Other definitions for hobby (3 of 3)

Hobby

[ hob-ee ]

/ ˈhɒb i /

noun

Oveta Culp

[kuhlp], /kʌlp/, 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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hobby in a sentence

To come up with an experimental platform that might provide some answers, Irvine drew on one of his hobbies.
An Unexpected Twist Lights Up the Secrets of Turbulence|David H. Freedman|September 3, 2020|Quanta Magazine
It’s not the hobby, it’s the people who do the hobby who make the tribe.
Why do we miss the rituals put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic?|Sujata Gupta|August 14, 2020|Science News
When asked about her hobbies outside of politics, she immediately mentions spending time with her kids, although she laughs uproariously while adding that “it’s sometimes hard to make time, which makes me probably like every other mom ever.”
From Soccer-Mom Auditor to Missouri Governor?|Nick Fouriezos|August 6, 2020|Ozy
Since coronavirus upended consumer behavior — people’s life, hobbies, what they care about, who they are with, is all in flux — advertisers are groping for information on new and existing audiences.
Reducing cookie reliance, The Telegraph rolls out ways to share data directly with advertisers|Lucinda Southern|July 8, 2020|Digiday

My other hobby is that in the spring of 2019 I got into weightlifting, which is not a sentence that I ever expected myself to say.
Weight lifting is this planetary scientist’s pastime|Bryn Nelson|March 10, 2020|Science News For Students
Also, the next Hobby Lobbys, female Kurdish fighters and more.
Six Must-Read Stories About the Sony Hacks, Congo’s Forgotten Colonial Getaway and Another Woman’s Story of U-VA|The Daily Beast|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While the Hobby Lobby decision may have lost its cultural appeal, it still carries weight in the federal court system.
The 26 Next Hobby Lobbys|Abby Haglage|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They are for corporations like Hobby Lobby, and vast hospital networks, and, yes, adoption agencies.
Do LGBTs Owe Christians an Olive Branch? Try The Other Way Around|Jay Michaelson|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The remote controlled flying craft has gone from covert military ops to a communal backyard hobby.
Why Every Home Needs a Drone This Holiday|Charlie Gilbert|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you really think about it, is this not just some grand hobby?
Anime King Hayao Miyazaki’s Cursed Dreams|Melissa Leon|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A strenuous worker, Mr. Johnstone, like most men who have no hobby, did not long survive his retirement from active business life.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
The old fellow used to frequent the Quarter in summer, years ago—it was his hobby.
The Real Latin Quarter|F. Berkeley Smith
Hobby horses gaily prancing, Bats and Bowls and Maypole dancing.
A Humorous History of England|C. Harrison
"The Army's rotten for want of service," grumbled Williams, following out his own pet hobby.
The Way of a Man|Emerson Hough
Spiders at present are his hobby, and the note-book is filling up with columns of small figures.
Dracula|Bram Stoker

British Dictionary definitions for hobby (1 of 2)

hobby¹

/ (ˈhɒbɪ) /

noun plural -bies

an activity pursued in spare time for pleasure or relaxation

archaic, or dialect a small horse or pony

short for hobbyhorse (def. 1)

an early form of bicycle, without pedals

Derived forms of hobby

hobbyist, noun

Word Origin for hobby

C14 hobyn, probably variant of proper name Robin; compare dobbin

British Dictionary definitions for hobby (2 of 2)

hobby²

/ (ˈhɒbɪ) /

noun plural -bies

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

Word Origin for hobby

C15: from Old French hobet, from hobe falcon; probably related to Middle Dutch hobbelen to roll, turn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hobby

Idioms about hobby

Origin of hobby

OTHER WORDS FROM hobby

Words nearby hobby

Other definitions for hobby (2 of 3)

Origin of hobby

Other definitions for hobby (3 of 3)

Words related to hobby

How to use hobby in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hobby (1 of 2)

Derived forms of hobby

Word Origin for hobby

British Dictionary definitions for hobby (2 of 2)

Word Origin for hobby