hobbyhorse

noun

ˈhä-bē-ˌhȯrs How to pronounce hobbyhorse (audio)
Definition of hobbyhorsenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Eccentricities, crotchets, and hobbyhorses are such interesting intellectual drivers. — Clare Bucknell, The New York Review of Books, 27 June 2026 Laqueur’s book has no particular thesis to hobbyhorse for, and yet a unified-field theory of aesthetic dogginess might be distilled from its pages. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 May 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobbyhorse
  1. hobby
  2. pursuit
  3. sport
  4. avocation
  5. amusement
Noun
  • Ask others to join in on the hobbies and activities that make your heart sing.
    — Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Earlier Thursday, Topps announced the redemption card for this one-of-a-kind Ohtani card had been hit from a hobby box purchased by an unidentified collector at their local card shop, Boca Sports Cards in Boca Raton, Fla.
    — Larry Holder, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of hobby
Noun
  • While the researchers describe the lifestyles of Blue Zoners as simple but highly active, in general, a lot of their pursuits were cognitively based.
    — Refractor, Refractor, 27 July 2026
  • Longevity cannot be positioned only as an elite pursuit for people who are already well.
    — Billee Howard, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of pursuit
Noun
  • With a spotlight on youth sports nationwide, many young athletes forge their identity around sports and dedicate a large portion of their free time to improvement.
    — Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 July 2026
  • Using valuable land Candidate Stacy Lake said that the sports complex is valuable for future development because of how much flexibility the large site could have in its potential future use.
    — Ilana Arougheti July 28, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
Definition of sport
Noun
  • Unlike in fields where avocations have to replace callings, academic retirees go on to pen as many articles and books as decline permits.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 June 2026
  • As Sottile sees it, the dog-show economy thrives on dog lovers’ sense of avocation.
    — Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of avocation
Noun
  • Many travelers speed right by on their way to the flashy amusements of Kemah or Galveston’s sandy beaches.
    — Gabi De la Rosa, Southern Living, 29 July 2026
  • Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun, a combined amusement and water park that makes an easy add-on to any early season game-day itinerary.
    — Taylor Haught, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
Definition of amusement

Browse Nearby Words

hobby
hobbyhorse
hobbyhorses
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Cite this Entry

“Hobbyhorse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobbyhorse. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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