pastime

noun

pas·​time ˈpas-ˌtīm 

: something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably : diversion

Her favorite pastime is gardening.

Baseball has been a national pastime for many years.

Examples of pastime in a Sentence

Baseball has been a national pastime for years.

Recent Examples on the Web

The neighborhood/area Grab coffee at Café Lyria in Noho, take a cycling class at AARMY, stop by Baya Bar for a smoothie, spot your favorite TikToker while enjoying a plate of fries at Fanelli Café in Soho, then see the sunset in Washington Square Park, where people watching is a favorite pastime. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2026

Paging through seed catalogs and ogling rare varieties might become your new favorite pastime. —Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 11 Mar. 2026

And yet, mah-jongg in recent years continues to surge upward in the United States, transcending the territory of amusing pastime and moving firmly into a lifestyle, complete with cutesy accoutrements begging to be added to your cart. —Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 10 Mar. 2026

For us, this was a fun pastimes for bored teens. —Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pastime

• airtime
• bedtime
• daytime
• downtime
• enzyme
• halftime
• lifetime
• longtime
• lunchtime
• mealtime
• meantime
• nighttime

Kids Definition

pastime

noun

pas·​time ˈpas-ˌtīm 

: something that helps to make time pass agreeably