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
Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
From the evidence gathered on-and-off-scene, investigators determine a probable cause and draft a report.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2025
At the time, Russell was newly single, having ended her messy, on-and-off romance with Speedman, which had, at times, been reflected in the show’s scripts.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
And with Çalhanoğlu carving his own legacy in northern Italy both on-and-off the field, his name may be etched in Italian folklore forever.
—William Jones, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
The podcast host dated the NFL player on-and-off from 2017 to 2022.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 3 Oct. 2025
After about four years of on-and-off dating, Young Thug and Mariah the Scientist have split.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
Tran dated Chris Brown in an on-and-off relationship from 2011 to 2015, and was previously linked to Rob Kardashian.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The experience reminded me of a part from Happy Together, a Wong Kar-wai movie about a deeply fraught, on-and-off romantic relationship between two men.
—Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Nicole and Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce were in an on-and-off-again relationship for five years before breaking up for good in 2022.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
From the evidence gathered on-and-off-scene, investigators determine a probable cause and draft a report.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2025
At the time, Russell was newly single, having ended her messy, on-and-off romance with Speedman, which had, at times, been reflected in the show’s scripts.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
And with Çalhanoğlu carving his own legacy in northern Italy both on-and-off the field, his name may be etched in Italian folklore forever.
—William Jones, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
The podcast host dated the NFL player on-and-off from 2017 to 2022.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 3 Oct. 2025
After about four years of on-and-off dating, Young Thug and Mariah the Scientist have split.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 1 Oct. 2025
Tran dated Chris Brown in an on-and-off relationship from 2011 to 2015, and was previously linked to Rob Kardashian.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 29 Aug. 2025
The experience reminded me of a part from Happy Together, a Wong Kar-wai movie about a deeply fraught, on-and-off romantic relationship between two men.
—Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for on and off
Adverb
-
There is a Zoom call that includes Brady, Secretary of Defense Reid Baker (Jared Harris) and, off and on (and at first, without video), the president (Idris Elba).—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
That show ran for six seasons off and on between 2010 and 2017.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
With aftershocks and recurrent seismic activity likely, the region faces ongoing risk.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Most hemorrhoids can be treated with over-the-counter topical medications, such as hydrocortisone or witch hazel, but Rao recommends consulting a doctor if the hemorrhoids become recurrent, painful or bleed excessively.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
For protein products that do show an especially high heavy metal content, using them more sporadically, rather than daily, can reduce exposure.—
C. Michael White,
The Conversation,
14 Oct. 2025
-
These restrictions are intended to be flexible and removable, yet they are only revisited sporadically.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Audiences can also expect a new teacher, Luke Tennie’s Dominic, and potentially more recurring and guest characters.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
-
This should further increase the bank's base of more recurring revenue streams.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
27 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
The power went out intermittently, and families scrimped to get enough food.—
Maggie Doherty,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
-
With green shoots that have pink bases, purple flowers appear in early spring and intermittently the rest of the season.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Bottom Line is a periodic business analysis column written by Evan Clark, deputy managing editor, who has covered the fashion industry since 2000.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
10 Oct. 2025
-
For a mere 160 milliseconds, a periodic gamma-ray fluctuation appeared in the light of the event.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
-
This suggests that snow leopards have purged bad mutations within their population periodically over time, which eliminated potential disadvantageous impacts from historic inbreeding and allowed populations to remain healthy despite small numbers, according to the paper.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That Stevenson had proposed a new method of producing intermittent light in lighthouses.—
Ayşegül Savaş,
New Yorker,
12 Oct. 2025
-
But in Pakistan’s Kurram area, intermittent gunfire continued, according to local officials and residents.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share