as in hobby
an activity outside of one's regular occupation that is engaged in primarily for pleasure
oil painting became the hobbyhorse of her long years of retirement
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Recent Examples of hobbyhorse
The notion that Winston Churchill, not the German Führer, was the villain in World War II — another of Buchanan’s hobbyhorses — is again gaining ground on the right.
—
Bret Stephens, Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2025
There must have been hundreds of them made, a stable of hobbyhorses, and one had ended up in the basement of our house in Massachusetts.
—Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Old-fashioned hobbyhorses entice shoppers to imagine riding on them.
—Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2025
It is also blighted by Tanenhaus’s hobbyhorses, which are especially evident in his caviling when promoting his book.
—The Editors, National Review, 2 June 2025
Both parties instead must make the case that federal funding for research is not a partisan hobbyhorse but a source of long-term economic and political strength.
—David G. Victor, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 2025
The treatment of white farmers in South Africa has been a hobbyhorse of South African X owner Elon Musk for quite a while.
—ArsTechnica, 14 May 2025
In 2017, the National Institutes of Health asked Hotez to meet with Kennedy to move him off the hobbyhorse of a vaccine-autism link.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Mergers and acquisitions of media companies is an area squarely in the FCC’s purview, which cannot be said of Section 230 and more tech-adjacent regulation that have also been Carr hobbyhorses.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
Bret Stephens, Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2025
There must have been hundreds of them made, a stable of hobbyhorses, and one had ended up in the basement of our house in Massachusetts.
—Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Old-fashioned hobbyhorses entice shoppers to imagine riding on them.
—Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2025
It is also blighted by Tanenhaus’s hobbyhorses, which are especially evident in his caviling when promoting his book.
—The Editors, National Review, 2 June 2025
Both parties instead must make the case that federal funding for research is not a partisan hobbyhorse but a source of long-term economic and political strength.
—David G. Victor, Foreign Affairs, 28 May 2025
The treatment of white farmers in South Africa has been a hobbyhorse of South African X owner Elon Musk for quite a while.
—ArsTechnica, 14 May 2025
In 2017, the National Institutes of Health asked Hotez to meet with Kennedy to move him off the hobbyhorse of a vaccine-autism link.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Mergers and acquisitions of media companies is an area squarely in the FCC’s purview, which cannot be said of Section 230 and more tech-adjacent regulation that have also been Carr hobbyhorses.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobbyhorse
Noun
-
Often referred to as micro collections in the design world, these sentimental pieces can center around a specific style or period of art, an animal motif, a hobby, whimsical antiques — anything that brings the homeowner delight.—
Ryan Conner,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Jan. 2026
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While working full-time as an executive assistant, Caswell started experimenting with baking her own cakes as a hobby.—
Sophie Caldwell,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Speed Skating 500m and Team Pursuit will also give medals in speed skating sprint distances (including the men’s 500m and women’s 500m) on February 10, with team pursuit finals to follow later in the Games.—
Sam Leveridge,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Often, his philosophy of life, his vaunted pursuit of happiness, anchored his letter.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Banks were urged to expand credit to service-consumption firms and allow eligible companies in culture, tourism, education, sports and household services to raise funds through bond issuance.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Medal reallocations have historically surfaced after doping or other cheating cases, but Chiles’ dispute centered on an apparent error by the International Gymnastics Federation, the sport’s governing body.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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My vocation as a writer and editor and my avocation as a gardener and composter go hand in hand.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Retired from her long vocation as a research chemist, Schafer, at 81, remains on the job with her avocations.—
Patricia Gallagher Newberry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
Even as his Reddit-haunting admirers still parse his lyrics for hidden meanings, his spirit surely looks down on them with wry amusement at his fans’ unending search for profundity.—
Alexander Larman,
Time,
10 Jan. 2026
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Unidentified plainclothes dudes then dragged her out of the high school auditorium while other Idahoans watched — some in amusement, others not so much.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hobbyhorse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobbyhorse. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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