off and on

adverb

Definition of off and onnext
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

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.
Recent Examples of off and on Rain showers will continue off and on Monday, with the rain beginning to taper Monday night. — Sarah Wroblewski, CBS News, 27 Sep. 2026 Turn your home’s lights off and on, and connect it to your home’s security cameras to keep a watchful eye. — Katrina Cossey, Parents, 19 Sep. 2026 Ohtani was seen shaking out his arm between swings and hobbling off and on for months. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 Repeatedly taking your shoes off and on is time-consuming and exasperating. — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for off and on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off and on
  1. sporadically
  2. intermittently
  3. periodically
  4. rarely
  5. seldom
Adverb
  • Tyson Familiar and visually uninspired, yet still sporadically captivating.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Constructed at a cost to the US taxpayer of $300 million, the pier was retired after operating poorly and sporadically for just twenty days.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of sporadically
Adverb
  • The administration has also intermittently pressured Ukraine to cave in its war of survival against Russian aggression.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Both robots had equal-power motors, with one providing steady, continuous motion in the rigid legs and the other intermittently storing energy and releasing it in snaps.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of intermittently
Adverb
  • After a dietary supplement goes to market, the FDA periodically inspects its manufacturing facilities and collects and tests some products.
    — Andrew Yockey, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The landscape is dry and largely treeless, with canyons and volcanic monoliths periodically interrupting the otherwise unending steppe.
    — Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of periodically
Adverb
  • The expression has different meanings across cultures, rarely referring to its literal translation.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Loudspeakers around the protest site warned that gatherings of five or more people were banned in parts of New Delhi, as authorities imposed sweeping security restrictions rarely seen in the capital.
    — Sheikh Saaliq, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of rarely
Adverb
  • Since the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising, began in 1987, human rights organizations have documented how seldom investigations into Israeli soldiers’ killings of Palestinians resulted in prosecution.
    — Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Scholars of her work have debated why women seldom take center stage.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of seldom

Browse Nearby Words

offal
off and on
off base
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Cite this Entry

“Off and on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off%20and%20on. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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