pastime
Americannoun
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:
Hockney's new passion was landscapes: the traditional pastime of the weekend amateur.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
A recent study by the Economist showed that 10% of Americans now rank soccer as their favorite sport, making it the third most popular behind football and basketball and narrowly edging out America’s pastime, baseball.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
Today, the median age of U.S. motorcycle owners hovers around 50, with younger people put off by high prices or unfamiliarity with the pastime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Watching these A.I. edits became a pastime for her friend group; they’d share the videos at school and at sleepovers.
From Slate ● May 12, 2026
Then he demonstrated the energy and rambunctiousness of a child at a new pastime.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Bowling was once one of America’s most popular pastimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 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
Bhosle's love for cricket was well known, with the sport being one of her favorite pastimes.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
One of my favorite spring/summertime pastimes is visiting the local farmers' market for meal inspiration.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2025
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.
