pastime

[pas-tahym, pahs-]

See more synonyms for pastime on Thesaurus.com

noun

something that serves to make time pass agreeably; a pleasant means of amusement, recreation, or sport: to play cards as a pastime.

Origin of pastime

1480–90; earlier pas(s)e tyme, translation of Middle French passe-temps

Synonyms

See more synonyms for pastime on Thesaurus.com

entertainment, hobby, diversion, avocation.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pastime

Contemporary Examples

Cooking up scientific explanations of the plagues has been a pastime for years.
Liberian Pastors Blame Ebola on Gays, The Right Blames Obama
Jay Michaelson
October 27, 2014
And if horse racing endures and survives, it will be the result of an overdue focus on the august animal that defines the pastime.
How Kentucky Will Save Horse Racing From Itself
Jonathan Miller
September 4, 2014
Let it be a hobby, a pastime, a social thing—like it used to be, like it always was.
Weed Gave My Family Everything—Then Took It Away
Abby Haglage
April 9, 2014
As a pastime, bow hunting has a more refined history than other modes of recreational animal killing.
Paul Ryan’s Bow-Hunting Bump
Rebecca Dana
August 16, 2012
People like to brag about their connections in D.C. It's a pastime for some.
10 Worst Political Scandals
Mark McKinnon
October 30, 2009

Historical Examples

The wooing on Shakespeare's side was nothing but pastime, though it led to marriage.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
Discussion was, indeed, a pastime in which the major never indulged.
Roden's Corner
Henry Seton Merriman
Mr. Dowling should have found other forms of exercise and pastime.
Alice Adams
Booth Tarkington
They were trailing a hot scent, a pastime as well as a work that was their life.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum
The one is a pastime; the other”––he paused and caught his breath––“a passion!
The Strollers
Frederic S. Isham

British Dictionary definitions for pastime

pastime

noun

an activity or entertainment which makes time pass pleasantlygolf is my favourite pastime

Word Origin

C15: from pass + time, on the model of French passe-temps

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

Word Origin and History for pastime

n.

late 15c., passe tyme "recreation, diversion, amusement, sport," from pass (v.) + time (n.). Formed on model of Middle French passe-temps (15c.), from passe, imperative of passer "to pass" + temps "time."

pastime

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}pastime

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for pastime

Contemporary Examples

Cooking up scientific explanations of the plagues has been a pastime for years.

And if horse racing endures and survives, it will be the result of an overdue focus on the august animal that defines the pastime.

Let it be a hobby, a pastime, a social thing—like it used to be, like it always was.

As a pastime, bow hunting has a more refined history than other modes of recreational animal killing.

People like to brag about their connections in D.C. It's a pastime for some.

Historical Examples

The wooing on Shakespeare's side was nothing but pastime, though it led to marriage.

Discussion was, indeed, a pastime in which the major never indulged.

Mr. Dowling should have found other forms of exercise and pastime.

They were trailing a hot scent, a pastime as well as a work that was their life.

The one is a pastime; the other”––he paused and caught his breath––“a passion!

pastime

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for pastime

n.

Origin of pastime