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
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
Throw these men off their hobbyhorses, off the tracks of their discourse.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 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
Never mind the crime issue or that favorite Trumpian hobbyhorse, immigration and the border.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024
Riding clubs and hobbyhorse camps foster those close connections.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 June 2024
In part that’s because, to climb back on an old hobbyhorse of mine, platforms are still too stingy with the data that might help researchers understand them better.
—Casey Newton, The Verge, 24 May 2023
Nor does the Trooper seem to hobbyhorse longitudinally or wobble laterally while running straight on some surfaces, as the S-10 Blazer sometimes does.
—Pete Lyons, Car and Driver, 26 Mar. 2023
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Throw these men off their hobbyhorses, off the tracks of their discourse.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 28 Jan. 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
Never mind the crime issue or that favorite Trumpian hobbyhorse, immigration and the border.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024
Riding clubs and hobbyhorse camps foster those close connections.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 13 June 2024
In part that’s because, to climb back on an old hobbyhorse of mine, platforms are still too stingy with the data that might help researchers understand them better.
—Casey Newton, The Verge, 24 May 2023
Nor does the Trooper seem to hobbyhorse longitudinally or wobble laterally while running straight on some surfaces, as the S-10 Blazer sometimes does.
—Pete Lyons, Car and Driver, 26 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobbyhorse
Noun
-
One of my nerdy little hobbies is collecting quotations from the famous and not-so-famous about good writing.—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2025
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While Adarabioyo has been deeply involved in the hobby for years now, Solanke confessed to recently being sucked into it.—
Andrew Mackie,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
During the pursuit, a state police cruiser was struck by the box truck.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
24 Apr. 2025
-
If the writing can get cute, there lies within it a palpable appreciation for people who dedicate themselves to a brutally challenging and relatively under-rewarded pursuit.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
26 Apr. 2025
-
For every person who happily sets 4:00 a.m. alarms on race morning, there’s another convinced the sport is too hard, too boring, or a waste of time, if not outright harmful.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
These avocations can take many shapes—traveling, golf, time with family, snowboarding, knitting, hunting, gardening, fishing, church choir, college football, crossword puzzles, theater, cycling, and walking.—
Wes Moss,
Forbes,
17 Dec. 2024
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What began as an avocation turned into a serious occupation, as Fox Solomon turned to documenting the remnants of segregation visible in Chattanooga and across the South.—
Christina Cacouris,
The New Yorker,
24 Sep. 2024
Noun
-
More casual, and far more intimate, is the arsenal of gun shots—regular Americans, children as well as adults, toting their weaponry for the camera, and for the nervous amusement of their friends and relatives.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2025
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Out of the amusement of babes comes a perfect alternative to the current tariffs panic.—
Armond White,
National Review,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hobbyhorse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobbyhorse. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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