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
The animators at Blur Studio employ a photo-realistic quality to their art, shading the characters in dramatic shadows and inserting intermittent patches of concentrated color that grab your visual attention and slingshot you through the rocketing narrative.
4.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 May 2025
Please talk with your healthcare provider before trying 4:3 intermittent fasting.
—Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 15 May 2025
This achievement gap was reduced to a statistically nonsignificant 3% when students answered intermittent quiz questions.
—Zohara Assadipour, The Conversation, 14 May 2025
There was an intermittent check engine light on the dashboard.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for intermittent
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 May 2025
Please talk with your healthcare provider before trying 4:3 intermittent fasting.
—Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 15 May 2025
This achievement gap was reduced to a statistically nonsignificant 3% when students answered intermittent quiz questions.
—Zohara Assadipour, The Conversation, 14 May 2025
There was an intermittent check engine light on the dashboard.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 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 22 May. 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
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