intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent
ˌin-tər-ˈmi-tᵊnt 
1
: coming and going at intervals : not continuous
intermittent rain
2
of a stream or body of water
: appearing and disappearing seasonally : sometimes dry
intermittently
adverb
raining intermittently
Examples of intermittent in a Sentence
In the intermittent light he could make out the shape of a solitary oak tree, spreading great arms from its short tremendous trunk.
—
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising, (1973) 1999
Decades of intermittent but recurring controversies with imperial authorities, and the lodestar of the glorious Revolution, disposed Americans to continue to believe that representation existed, first and foremost, to protect the rights of their communities against the abuse of executive power.
—Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings, 1996
Bronchodilators continue to play an important role in asthma treatment, especially for people who have relatively mild or intermittent attacks.
—Stephen Hoffmann, Harvard Medical School Health Letter, June 1991
The patient was having intermittent pains in his side.
The forecast is for intermittent rain.
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising, (1973) 1999
Decades of intermittent but recurring controversies with imperial authorities, and the lodestar of the glorious Revolution, disposed Americans to continue to believe that representation existed, first and foremost, to protect the rights of their communities against the abuse of executive power.
—Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings, 1996
Bronchodilators continue to play an important role in asthma treatment, especially for people who have relatively mild or intermittent attacks.
—Stephen Hoffmann, Harvard Medical School Health Letter, June 1991
The patient was having intermittent pains in his side.
The forecast is for intermittent rain.
Recent Examples on the Web
Connectivity can be intermittent in remote industrial sites, so ANYmal is built to handle data locally.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
According to Edwards, many executives are beginning to realize that even minor disturbances, often invisible or intermittent, can create disproportionate consequences.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Kuhr had the defense well-prepared for the Giants' shot plays and intermittent use of tempo, especially in Patriots' territory.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
The overall pattern through the next several days will favor below normal temperatures and chances of intermittent light precipitation as a trough of low pressure remains centered across the Eastern US and Great Lakes states.
—Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intermittent
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.
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
According to Edwards, many executives are beginning to realize that even minor disturbances, often invisible or intermittent, can create disproportionate consequences.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Kuhr had the defense well-prepared for the Giants' shot plays and intermittent use of tempo, especially in Patriots' territory.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 3 Dec. 2025
The overall pattern through the next several days will favor below normal temperatures and chances of intermittent light precipitation as a trough of low pressure remains centered across the Eastern US and Great Lakes states.
—Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intermittent
Cite this Entry
“Intermittent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intermittent. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent
ˌint-ər-ˈmit-ᵊnt
: starting, stopping, and starting again
an intermittent fever
intermittently
adverb
Medical Definition
intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent
ˌint-ər-ˈmit-ᵊnt
: coming and going at intervals : not continuous
intermittent fever
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share