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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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
The pair were seen together off and on in the following months, as Perry toured the world on her Lifetimes Tour.
—
Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
Glaser has been a manager off and on for the last 20 years and leads the onboarding, training and leadership development for some 150,000 employees worldwide.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 28 Nov. 2025
It’s been this way off and on most of my life.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
In came New Mexico backup quarterback James Laubstein, who is employed off and on for his running ability.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off and on
Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
Glaser has been a manager off and on for the last 20 years and leads the onboarding, training and leadership development for some 150,000 employees worldwide.
—Jennifer Liu, CNBC, 28 Nov. 2025
It’s been this way off and on most of my life.
—Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 28 Nov. 2025
In came New Mexico backup quarterback James Laubstein, who is employed off and on for his running ability.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off and on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off and on
Adverb
-
On Heated Rivalry, Shane and Ilya’s romantic arc builds sporadically over the course of more than eight years.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Barcelona’s main threat is right-winger Lamine Yamal, who has the ability to beat two opponents single-handedly, so Jules Kounde tends to play more of a supporting role, sometimes holding his position and tucking into a back three, and pushing forward sporadically.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Since the hotel closed, the building has been used as a training facility for police and been intermittently occupied by homeless people.—
Tyler Faurot,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Amazon intermittently has physical copies of the series available and sells it for its Kindle e-book platform.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
8 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
But unlike most commuters, Mamdani’s trip was documented by a photo and video crew, and periodically interrupted by neighbors wishing him luck.—
Jake Offenhartz,
Fortune,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Investors also periodically rotated out of tech and into value areas of the market due to worries of inflated valuations in the AI trade.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
3 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Tracy leads a tailgate team at Beck’s games On game days, Tracy is rarely cheering alone.—
Nasha Smith,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Inside the Speedster, drivers will find elements rarely seen in EVs, including a stick-style shifter.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Kaden and Keira, though, seldom were teammates.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
-
We are told that only about 40% of the housing units are now occupied and seldom does a week or so go by without some housing calamity taking place.—
Jerry Shnay,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Off and on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off%20and%20on. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
