as in off and on
not constantly or steadily over a period of time
It's been raining on and off all afternoon.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in recurrent
occurring or appearing at intervals
an on-and-off friendship over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 on and off
Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 13 Feb. 2026
The two were tabloid regulars for the duration of their on-and-off-again tryst, but they haven't been spotted together since May of 2024.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2026
Hamilton, a seven-time Formula One World Drivers' Championship titleholder and driver for Ferrari, was reportedly in an on-and-off-again relationship with Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger from 2007 to 2015, but has otherwise not been heavily linked with anyone else publicly.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Anne Lindholm, the future Anna Haycraft, was studying at the Liverpool School of Art, where Bainbridge’s on-and-off boyfriend, a painter named Austin Davies, studied and later taught (counting John Lennon among his students).
—Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Van Patten and White star in Tell Me Lies as Lucy and Stephen, a toxic, on-and-off couple whose relationship begins in college and runs the course of nearly a decade.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Burnett and Washburn counties and the western part of Douglas County are also expected to see on-and-off snow showers throughout Friday, with Douglas County already waking up to 8 inches of snow Friday morning.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 16 Jan. 2026
After a week of on-and-off flurries, weather officials say a cold spell is in the forecast for the weekend, with highs in the cool teens for the Chicago Bears’ playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
Last season of Tell Me Lies, Hulu’s soapy, sardonic drama about a toxic on-and-off relationship between college students Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White), ended with a bang—literally.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Margot Robbie is married to producer Tom Ackerley, while Jacob Elordi is believed to be in an on-and-off relationship with Olivia Jade.
—Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 13 Feb. 2026
The two were tabloid regulars for the duration of their on-and-off-again tryst, but they haven't been spotted together since May of 2024.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2026
Hamilton, a seven-time Formula One World Drivers' Championship titleholder and driver for Ferrari, was reportedly in an on-and-off-again relationship with Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger from 2007 to 2015, but has otherwise not been heavily linked with anyone else publicly.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Anne Lindholm, the future Anna Haycraft, was studying at the Liverpool School of Art, where Bainbridge’s on-and-off boyfriend, a painter named Austin Davies, studied and later taught (counting John Lennon among his students).
—Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Van Patten and White star in Tell Me Lies as Lucy and Stephen, a toxic, on-and-off couple whose relationship begins in college and runs the course of nearly a decade.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Burnett and Washburn counties and the western part of Douglas County are also expected to see on-and-off snow showers throughout Friday, with Douglas County already waking up to 8 inches of snow Friday morning.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 16 Jan. 2026
After a week of on-and-off flurries, weather officials say a cold spell is in the forecast for the weekend, with highs in the cool teens for the Chicago Bears’ playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
Last season of Tell Me Lies, Hulu’s soapy, sardonic drama about a toxic on-and-off relationship between college students Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White), ended with a bang—literally.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for on and off
Adverb
-
Berlingeri and Bad Bunny dated off and on from 2017 to 2022, according to Page Six, but remained on good terms.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The far-right politician is suddenly distancing himself from an American president who, off and on over the last year, has made aggressive plays to annex Greenland, targeting Danish borders that have existed for roughly 300 years.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Then came recurrent ankle injuries that required him to compete with painkillers to get back into form for these Games.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
But recurrent novae are fickle so treat this as an imminent possibility rather than a guarantee.—
Michael d'Estries,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Plants produce fragrant, creamy white blooms in mid-spring and sporadically throughout the summer.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
This was and is a non-recurring, cyclical business totally dependent on transaction volumes, which fluctuate with economic cycles and interest rates.—
Josh Brown,Sean Russo,
CNBC,
15 Jan. 2026
-
This will be a semi-recurring role that films in January and February.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
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
-
After 15 days without internet access, civilians were gradually able to reconnect to social media intermittently.—
Molly Hunter,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Her posts include asking for help in finding someone to remodel her pool, how to get to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and periodic questions about how to take care of different plants.—
Sarah Lapidus,
AZCentral.com,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Measles was eliminated in the United States by 2000 but has resurfaced in periodic outbreaks, mostly among people who are not vaccinated.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Major auction houses periodically offer free appraisal days.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
16 Feb. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
How the Study Worked In the study, 72 inactive adults with panic disorder who weren’t taking medications as treatment completed a 12-week program of brief intermittent intense exercise or relaxation training.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Due to its durability and rapid response time, the team expects the technology to be used to stabilize power grids and manage the intermittent output of renewable energy sources.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
