Pastime Meaning
/ˈpæs.taɪm/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounSomething which amuses, and serves to make time pass agreeably.
verbTo sport; to amuse oneself.
Sentence Examples
Playing the piano is her favorite pastime.
Playing cards is a popular pastime.
My favorite pastime is strolling along the shore.
CEFR Practice Quiz
My favorite ____, which I do for fun, is reading books.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Reading was her favorite ____, and she always had a book tucked into her bag wherever she went.
Word Origin & History
From earlier passtime, pass-time, from Middle English passe tyme, passetyme, calque of Middle French passetemps.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Hunting and fishing, the most important employments of mankind in the rude state of society, become in its advanced state their most agreeable amusements, and they pursue for pleasure what they once followed from necessity. In the advanced state of society, therefore, they are all very poor people who follow as a trade what other people pursue as a pastime."
— 1776, Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations:
"[…]lax court morals and the absurd chivalry business were in full feather, and the joust and the tournament were the frequent pastime of titled fine gentlemen who could fight better than they could spell..."
— 1883, Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi:
"An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’."
— 1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part I, London: Collins, →ISBN:
"And your pastimes, consisted of the strange
And twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called
"Crying Lightning""
— 2009, Alex Turner, “Crying Lightning”, in Humbug (album), performed by Arctic Monkeys:
"Nor would there be an opportunity for the media's favorite pastime of exposing conflict among his advisors."
— 2020 June 23, John Bolton, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 398:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
My favorite ____, which I do for fun, is reading books.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Reading was her favorite ____, and she always had a book tucked into her bag wherever she went.