noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   Something which amuses, and serves to make time pass agreeably.

   "Chatting is a pleasant pastime."

2. 2
   a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly) wordnet

Verb

1. 1
   To sport; to amuse oneself. intransitive, obsolete

Synonyms

All synonyms

amusementdiversionhobbypursuitgameamusement

Example

More examples

"Playing the piano is her favorite pastime."

Etymology

From earlier passtime, pass-time, from Middle English passe tyme, passetyme, calque of Middle French passetemps.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.