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
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
The short-wheelbase Suzuki hobbyhorses over these rhythmic disturbances and sets your guts a-bouncing.
—Kevin Smith, Car and Driver, 4 Mar. 2023
This is a hobbyhorse of Washington progressives, both because federal jurisdiction over gun crimes hinges on their movement in interstate commerce, and because bloviating about guns is more palatable than addressing who exactly is using guns illegally, a third rail in Democratic Party politics.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 5 Feb. 2022
Most of the criticism is baseless tripe hatched to advance Trump or some other Fox News hobbyhorse, though there have been plenty of legitimate reasons to bash MSNBC and CNN over the years.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 19 July 2022
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
The short-wheelbase Suzuki hobbyhorses over these rhythmic disturbances and sets your guts a-bouncing.
—Kevin Smith, Car and Driver, 4 Mar. 2023
This is a hobbyhorse of Washington progressives, both because federal jurisdiction over gun crimes hinges on their movement in interstate commerce, and because bloviating about guns is more palatable than addressing who exactly is using guns illegally, a third rail in Democratic Party politics.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 5 Feb. 2022
Most of the criticism is baseless tripe hatched to advance Trump or some other Fox News hobbyhorse, though there have been plenty of legitimate reasons to bash MSNBC and CNN over the years.
—Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 19 July 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hobbyhorse
Noun
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Started as a homebrewing hobby in the 1980s, the commercial craft beer industry has grown exponentially during the new millennium, expanding from 1,566 breweries to nearly 10,000 as of 2023, according to the Brewers Association.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Pick up a new hobby or make a regular date with a friend for a phone call.—
Allison Aubrey,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Everything—from travel to fashion, architecture, interiors and culinary pursuits—is meticulously designed, sometimes obviously, sometimes not.—
Rima Suqi,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
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The president has made no secret of his pursuit of an agreement that would give the United States access to a significant share of the mineral wealth -- one that Zelenskyy has, so far, declined to take.—
Shannon K. Kingston,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Learfield, which manages sports sponsorships for over 160 universities and licensing agreements for nearly 800 colleges, says that 93 of its schools had licensing deals for alcoholic beverages for the first six months of the current fiscal year.—
Steve Megargee,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
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While the same political party now controls the White House and both the House and Senate, that was also true from 2017 to 2019 and from 2021 to 2023 when various college sports reforms were proposed to much media fanfare only to stall and then be forgotten.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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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
-
The official website for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which tech billionaire Elon Musk heads, was reportedly hacked on Friday, sending waves of confusion and amusement through the internet.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
15 Feb. 2025
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There’s no shortage of diversions and amusements to fill your Sunday afternoon.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
9 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hobbyhorse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hobbyhorse. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
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