: 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.
As for the on-again, off-again nature of their relationship? Emma Banks, InStyle, 10 Jan. 2026 Travis notably dated on-air sports reporter Kayla Nicole in an on-again, off-again relationship for five years starting in 2022 before he and Swift, also 36, became an item. Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026 Bradford rescues her from that nightmare, and with that, their on-again, off-again romance became the relationship most Rookie fans root for. Tanya Melendez, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026 According to the complaint, Rivera had repeatedly expressed concerns to supervisors about Baker’s behavior and ended a two-year on-again, off-again romantic relationship with him shortly before the shooting. Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 12 Dec. 2025 There, in Marco Polo’s hometown, the titular travelers alight for two chapters, enduring one of several crises in their passionate, complicated, on-again, off-again relationship. New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025 Darkside, Nothing Darkside — an on-again, off-again collaboration between singer-songwriter and electronic producer Nicolás Jaar and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington — expanded into a trio in the 2020s. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025 This on-again, off-again behavior could be a missing link in Earth's early evolution, the researchers said. Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 30 Nov. 2025 Over the weekend, a bipartisan group of senators reached an agreement to end the shutdown after holding a series of on-again, off-again talks over the last several weeks. Sam Gringlas, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025

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 14 Jan. 2026.

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