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.

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 Northern Minnesota will see thunderstorms off and on throughout the day. — Mike Augustyniak, CBS News, 26 June 2026 Amazon’s streaming service, Prime Video, is the most chaotic major company out there, seemingly random in its assembly of new and classic titles that shuffle off and on the platform every month. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 19 June 2026 The geese had been there off and on for days. — Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 15 June 2026 Between and among cover projects such as Holy Ghost Building and Gimme a Kickstart, Michael Roe, Mark Harmon, and Bruce Spencer worked on it off and on for 13 years. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 June 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
  • In addition to sporadically continuing her acting career in titles like The Last Song, LOL and Black Mirror, Cyrus has mostly pivoted to music.
    — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 15 Aug. 2026
  • But Rydell preferred to direct, if somewhat sporadically, and to produce, forming a partnership with Sydney Pollock in the mid-1980s, Sanford Prods.
    — Carmel Dagan, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of sporadically
Adverb
  • By contrast, talks on the war between Russia and Ukraine have been convened intermittently, in multiple locations, and not once with all the relevant actors (Kyiv, Moscow, Washington, and key European states) at the table.
    — Matt Waldman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Then, winter returned for a brief April interlude, to be followed by an intermittently toasty and foggy May.
    — Laura Ness, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of intermittently
Adverb
  • And though some of these accessible murals, primarily located in South and West Side neighborhoods, continue to be periodically restored, other street masterpieces are endangered due to funding pressures, neglect and potential redevelopment.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Maybe…by jumping into a shiny glowing globule that appears periodically.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of periodically
Adverb
  • Creditors rarely challenge such plans because most disputes are resolved earlier.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Carrington was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game, a rare correct call from the league's officials, then took it upon herself to demonstrate beautifully why the WNBA is rarely taken seriously.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of rarely
Adverb
  • These days it is seldom seen, with scouting resource and social media so prevalent, for the majority to be so unaware of the next young talent.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • While the group is nominally focused on promoting the relationship between the United States and Israel, its advertising focus seldom mentions Israel.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of seldom

Browse Nearby Words

offal
off and on
off base
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on off and on

Nglish: Translation of off and on for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All