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
From a cyberpsychology perspective, smartphones trigger reward pathways in teenagers' developing brains through intermittent reinforcement, which is the same mechanism that makes online gambling addictive.
—Angelica Mari, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Renewables alone are too intermittent to meet the energy needs of life on the moon.
—Emily Waltz, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Aug. 2025
The rapper’s intermittent social media posts were ultimately followed by his Thursday morning arrest.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
An experienced hiker who had completed several solo trips in challenging conditions, Luhn knew cell service would be spotty and warned his wife any communications from inside the park would be intermittent.
—Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intermittent
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Angelica Mari, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Renewables alone are too intermittent to meet the energy needs of life on the moon.
—Emily Waltz, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Aug. 2025
The rapper’s intermittent social media posts were ultimately followed by his Thursday morning arrest.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
An experienced hiker who had completed several solo trips in challenging conditions, Luhn knew cell service would be spotty and warned his wife any communications from inside the park would be intermittent.
—Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 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 6 Sep. 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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