: existing briefly and in an intermittent unpredictable way
on-again, off-again fads

Examples of on-again, off-again in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
From there, the two had an on-again, off-again relationship. Charlotte Observer, 22 June 2026 The broader talks are centered on Iran’s nuclear program, but have been dominated by Israel and Hezbollah’s on-again, off-again conflict in Lebanon. Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 21 June 2026 The on-again, off-again peace deal with Iran is on again. Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 18 June 2026 And that’s with those on-again, off-again guys in the gray shirts advertising Emirates missing call after call on the Spurs’ bludgeoning, stepping on, grabbing the guy down the stretch. John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2026 From there, the two had an on-again, off-again relationship, but eventually announced their engagement in 2018. Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026 The throughline of his life is his on-again, off-again friendship with, but also his steadfast love for a neighbor girl of the upper class, who challenges him repeatedly to become his better self. The Know, Denver Post, 31 May 2026 Supply is constrained by the on-again, off-again blockades and agitation in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as by Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil capacity. Jeremy Lott, The Washington Examiner, 30 May 2026 But destroying morale and stirring chaos with on-again, off-again layoffs is certainly not the way to do it. The Atlantic, 19 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of on-again, off-again was in 1946

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Cite this Entry

“On-again, off-again.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on-again%2C%20off-again. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.

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