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
Ahead of the front, light showers are expected off and on through the afternoon, becoming more widespread and heavier Friday night.
—
Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026
Wittels, who has been with the gallery off and on since its 1989 launch, and Johnson Montenegro, who joined in 2012, will be promoted to gallery principals.
—News Desk, Artforum, 15 Jan. 2026
Following her headlining tour for that album, she’s toured off and on with Taylor Swift as Swift’s opening act on select dates of her blockbuster Eras Tour.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2026
Cones remained around the hole, off and on, through 2017.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for off and on
Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026
Wittels, who has been with the gallery off and on since its 1989 launch, and Johnson Montenegro, who joined in 2012, will be promoted to gallery principals.
—News Desk, Artforum, 15 Jan. 2026
Following her headlining tour for that album, she’s toured off and on with Taylor Swift as Swift’s opening act on select dates of her blockbuster Eras Tour.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Jan. 2026
Cones remained around the hole, off and on, through 2017.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for off and on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off and on
Adverb
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Plants produce fragrant, creamy white blooms in mid-spring and sporadically throughout the summer.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2026
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The 39-year-old has wrestled sporadically since but is now coming home May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
17 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Calls for Lang to step down intensified since files released on January 30 by the US Department of Justice showed Epstein and Lang corresponding intermittently between 2012 and 2019, when the financier died by suicide in jail.—
Reuters 13 hr ago,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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After 15 days without internet access, civilians were gradually able to reconnect to social media intermittently.—
Molly Hunter,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Major auction houses periodically offer free appraisal days.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
16 Feb. 2026
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Part of the reason for periodically cleaning out the fridge is simply to keep track of what’s inside.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Duvall was a master of subtlety as an Irishman among Italians, rarely at the center of a scene, but often listening and advising in the background, an irreplaceable thread through the saga of the Corleone crime family.—
BOB THOMAS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
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Mikey Cecala was there every step of the way, rarely leaving her side.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Groundcover Low-growing groundcover junipers seldom need pruning except to remove dead tips resulting from winter damage or to keep them from encroaching on other plants, sidewalks, driveways or structures.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Feb. 2026
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The program includes Howard Hanson’s Romantic Symphony, a beautiful and seldom-heard symphony by an American composer.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Off and on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off%20and%20on. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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