as in on and off
not constantly or steadily over a period of time
They've been dating off and on for almost a year.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of off and on
The two friends have been going to the annual meeting off and on for roughly 15 years, leaving their husbands at home for a girls' trip to Omaha.
—
Sarah Min,yun Li, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Multiple pieces of software and online tutorials exist for the captioning of YouTube videos in addition to instructions for turning the closed captioning feature in YouTube off and on.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
Reba later got married but still kept in touch with Horner off and on.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Apr. 2026
Gubicza fought back tears both off and on the air Friday when talking about the longtime Angels outfielder, who died at 53 on Thursday.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 18 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for off and on
Sarah Min,yun Li, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Multiple pieces of software and online tutorials exist for the captioning of YouTube videos in addition to instructions for turning the closed captioning feature in YouTube off and on.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
Reba later got married but still kept in touch with Horner off and on.
—Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Apr. 2026
Gubicza fought back tears both off and on the air Friday when talking about the longtime Angels outfielder, who died at 53 on Thursday.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 18 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for off and on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off and on
Adverb
-
Nonetheless, without those three midfielders routinely in the changing room, all leading professionals, standards sporadically slipped, with others, who had struggled for consistent starts and were not convincing Emery in training, late on occasion.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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Misael eating meat alone, cutting up pieces with an enormous knife while barely lit by the flames in front of him, and, sporadically, almost-silent lightning bursts in the distant background.—
Vadim Rizov,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
Adverb
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If a number is misrouted, unreachable or intermittently dropping, the project might be technically closed while the business is fully exposed.—
Liam Dunne,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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Where the impact was expected to be heaver was in the Sierra Nevada, where rain and snow showers were expected intermittently through Thursday night.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Adverb
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The Missourian was delivered by more than sixty children, most of them boys, and periodically the paper sponsored an event for us at its office or at a local pizzeria.—
Peter Hessler,
New Yorker,
31 May 2026
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Epstein visited Interlochen periodically, often with his confidante and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, and stayed in the lodge now marked for demolition.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
Adverb
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Thanks to the sheer size of the Grumeti Reserves and the limited development within, wildlife sightings tend to be excellent and rarely shared with other vehicles.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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Lowbrow sources such as Sunday funnies, B movies, and advertisements are present but are more diffuse, rarely coalescing into obvious quotation.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Adverb
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The National Weather Service said that burns seldom occur from lightning strikes, but the nervous system can be harmed.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
-
His testimony painted a much different picture of Jones’ role at the Bank of Labor than the one described by President Robert McCall, who testified last week that Jones never put in a full work week in his high-paying bank position and seldom made an appearance at the office.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Off and on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off%20and%20on. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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