noun
hobby
HO-bee
noun
1
An activity someone does regularly for pleasure in their free time, not for work.
"Gardening has been her favorite hobby for years."
"He picked up woodworking as a hobby after retiring."
2
Any of several small, fast falcons, especially Falco subbuteo.
"A hobby swooped low over the field chasing dragonflies."
How to Use Hobby
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomething you enjoy doing in your spare time, purely for fun.
Common pairings
take up a hobby
hobby of choice
pursue a hobby
Word Forms
hobbies plural, hobbies plural, Hobbies plural, Hobbys plural
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Etymology
Shortened from "hobby-horse", originally meaning a small pony, which came to mean a toy riding-horse, and eventually a favorite pastime — the link being an activity that, like a toy horse, "goes nowhere".