Entertainment & Interests
Words for hobbies, arts, media, and leisure activities
Overview
25 essential words for talking about entertainment, hobbies, sports, and creative activities.
Words
action /ˈækʃn/
noun — A1
Meaning: the process of doing something; an act
Examples:
- We need to take action now.
- The movie is full of action.
Collocations: take action, action movie, course of action
activity /ækˈtɪvəti/
noun — A1
Meaning: something that you do for interest or pleasure
Examples:
- What activities do you enjoy?
- Swimming is a popular outdoor activity.
Collocations: physical activity, leisure activity, group activity
Word Family: activity (n.) → active (adj.) → actively (adv.)
actor /ˈæktər/
noun — A1
Meaning: a person who performs in plays or movies
Examples:
- He’s a famous Hollywood actor.
- The actors gave a wonderful performance.
Collocations: lead actor, famous actor, actor and actress
actress /ˈæktrəs/
noun — A1
Meaning: a woman who performs in plays or movies
Examples:
- She’s a talented actress.
- The actress won an award for her role.
Collocations: famous actress, lead actress
art /ɑːrt/
noun — A1
Meaning: paintings, drawings, and other creative works; creative skill
Examples:
- I love modern art.
- She studies art at university.
Collocations: work of art, art gallery, art class, fine art
Word Family: art (n.) → artist (n.) → artistic (adj.)
artist /ˈɑːrtɪst/
noun — A1
Meaning: a person who creates art, especially paintings or drawings
Examples:
- She’s a talented artist.
- The artist painted a beautiful landscape.
Collocations: famous artist, street artist, young artist
ball /bɔːl/
noun — A1
Meaning: a round object used in games and sports
Examples:
- The children were kicking a ball around.
- Throw the ball to me!
Collocations: football, tennis ball, ball game, catch the ball
band /bænd/
noun — A1
Meaning: a group of musicians who play together
Examples:
- My brother plays in a band.
- Their favourite band is coming to town.
Collocations: rock band, live band, band member, jazz band
blog /blɒɡ/
noun, verb — A1
Meaning: a website where someone writes regularly about topics
Examples:
- She writes a food blog.
- He started blogging about travel.
Collocations: blog post, travel blog, write a blog
Word Family: blog (n./v.) → blogger (n.) → blogging (n.)
camera /ˈkæmərə/
noun — A1
Meaning: a device for taking photographs or recording video
Examples:
- Don’t forget to bring your camera.
- She bought a new digital camera.
Collocations: camera phone, camera lens, on camera
CD /ˌsiː ˈdiː/
noun — A1
Meaning: a small disc used to store music or data
Examples:
- I still have a collection of CDs.
- She bought a CD of classical music.
Collocations: CD player, music CD, burn a CD
cinema /ˈsɪnəmə/
noun — A1
Meaning: a place where you go to watch movies
Examples:
- Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
- The new cinema has ten screens.
Collocations: go to the cinema, cinema ticket, at the cinema
concert /ˈkɒnsət/
noun — A1
Meaning: a public performance of music
Examples:
- We went to a rock concert last night.
- She’s giving a piano concert.
Collocations: go to a concert, concert hall, live concert
dance /dɑːns/
verb, noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to move your body to music; (n.) a series of movements to music
Examples:
- Do you want to dance?
- She loves salsa dancing.
Collocations: dance music, dance class, dance floor, dance partner
Word Family: dance (v./n.) → dancer (n.) → dancing (n.)
film /fɪlm/
noun — A1
Meaning: a movie; a story shown in moving pictures
Examples:
- Have you seen the new film?
- She wants to direct films.
Collocations: film star, horror film, make a film, film festival
game /ɡeɪm/
noun — A1
Meaning: an activity or sport with rules; a single match
Examples:
- Let’s play a game of chess.
- Did you watch the football game?
Collocations: video game, board game, game over, game plan
hobby /ˈhɒbi/
noun — A1
Meaning: an activity done in your free time for pleasure
Examples:
- Photography is my favourite hobby.
- What are your hobbies?
Collocations: favourite hobby, hobby shop, take up a hobby
movie /ˈmuːvi/
noun — A1
Meaning: a film shown in a cinema or on TV
Examples:
- What’s your favourite movie?
- We watched a great movie last night.
Collocations: movie star, movie theatre, action movie, horror movie
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/
noun — A1
Meaning: sounds made by singing or playing instruments
Examples:
- I listen to music every day.
- She plays classical music on the piano.
Collocations: music festival, music lesson, pop music, live music
Word Family: music (n.) → musician (n.) → musical (adj.)
photo /ˈfəʊtəʊ/
noun — A1
Meaning: a picture taken with a camera
Examples:
- Can I take a photo of you?
- She posted the photos online.
Collocations: take a photo, family photo, photo album
Word Family: photo (n.) → photograph (n.) → photographer (n.) → photography (n.)
picture /ˈpɪktʃər/
noun — A1
Meaning: a drawing, painting, or photograph
Examples:
- There’s a beautiful picture on the wall.
- She drew a picture of her cat.
Collocations: take a picture, big picture, picture book
sing /sɪŋ/
verb — A1
Meaning: to make musical sounds with your voice
Examples:
- She loves to sing in the shower.
- They sang happy birthday together.
Collocations: sing a song, sing along, sing in a choir
Word Family: sing (v.) → singer (n.) → singing (n.) → song (n.)
song /sɒŋ/
noun — A1
Meaning: a piece of music with words
Examples:
- What’s your favourite song?
- She wrote a beautiful song.
Collocations: love song, pop song, sing a song, song lyrics
sport /spɔːt/
noun — A1
Meaning: a physical activity done for exercise or competition
Examples:
- Football is the most popular sport here.
- Do you play any sports?
Collocations: sport centre, team sport, sport event, play sport
Word Family: sport (n.) → sports (adj.) → sporty (adj.)
swim /swɪm/
verb — A1
Meaning: to move through water using your body
Examples:
- Can you swim?
- We went swimming in the lake.
Collocations: go swimming, swim pool, swim lesson
Word Family: swim (v.) → swimmer (n.) → swimming (n.)
Quick Review
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| action | n. | process of doing |
| activity | n. | leisure pursuit |
| actor | n. | performer (male) |
| actress | n. | performer (female) |
| art | n. | creative works |
| artist | n. | creator of art |
| ball | n. | round object for games |
| band | n. | music group |
| blog | n./v. | personal website |
| camera | n. | photo device |
| CD | n. | music disc |
| cinema | n. | movie theatre |
| concert | n. | music performance |
| dance | v./n. | move to music |
| film | n. | movie |
| game | n. | activity with rules |
| hobby | n. | leisure activity |
| movie | n. | film |
| music | n. | musical sounds |
| photo | n. | photograph |
| picture | n. | drawing/photo |
| sing | v. | make music vocally |
| song | n. | music with words |
| sport | n. | physical activity |
| swim | v. | move in water |