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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hobbyhorse 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 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 Throw these men off their hobbyhorses, off the tracks of their discourse. James Parker, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobbyhorse
Noun
  • And this year, even collectors nostalgic for the early days of the hobby, before social media and investment watches entered the picture, said the vibe felt just right.
    Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Whether that puts your eyes onto your career and public image, your personal connections, or even a new hobby or interest, let this encourage you to lead full force in that direction with vulnerability and inspiration.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The struggle of artistic pursuit against personal and political constraints is a subtext embedded throughout An Unfinished Film.
    Yangyang Cheng, NPR, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Schedule networking activities that balance your personal and professional pursuits.
    Sarah Maokosy, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Baseball seasons are on the brink of ending after the sport’s long year.
    Chris Branch, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • And the justices will consider later this term whether states can prevent transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • The comedically top-heavy sausages, which can easily topple forwards into the dirt, temporarily take center stage as the baseball players gaze on in amusement from their dugouts, sometimes wagering on the outcome.
    Don Riddell, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The film is family-friendly, with the lyric videos playing for the clean versions of songs create amusement when compared with explicit versions.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hobbyhorse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobbyhorse. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

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