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
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Recent Examples of on and off
Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 15 Apr. 2026
Driver starred as Adam Sackler, an on-and-off love interest for Dunham's character, Hannah.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
The two men communicated via text messages, on-and-off, for about 18 months.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Years of leads and an on-and-off police investigation eventually led cold case investigators to a Westville inmate now linked to four 2002 Gary homicides.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Following her divorce from Odom, Kardashian was in an on-and-off relationship with Tristan Thompson until 2021.
—Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
For 13 seasons of Knots Landing, Joan Van Ark starred as Valene Ewing, Gary's on-and-off love and the mother of their three children.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
This on-and-off rain pattern continues for Wednesday and Thursday.
—Shane Hinton, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced Matvei Rumiantsev, a 23-year-old Russian national, to two years in prison after being found guilty of assault for abusing his on-and-off girlfriend.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
Ice Cream and Reebok have had an on-and-off-again relationship since christening it with the Flavour sneaker in 2004.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 15 Apr. 2026
Driver starred as Adam Sackler, an on-and-off love interest for Dunham's character, Hannah.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
The two men communicated via text messages, on-and-off, for about 18 months.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Years of leads and an on-and-off police investigation eventually led cold case investigators to a Westville inmate now linked to four 2002 Gary homicides.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Following her divorce from Odom, Kardashian was in an on-and-off relationship with Tristan Thompson until 2021.
—Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
For 13 seasons of Knots Landing, Joan Van Ark starred as Valene Ewing, Gary's on-and-off love and the mother of their three children.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
This on-and-off rain pattern continues for Wednesday and Thursday.
—Shane Hinton, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced Matvei Rumiantsev, a 23-year-old Russian national, to two years in prison after being found guilty of assault for abusing his on-and-off girlfriend.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for on and off
Adverb
-
Other users invited her to connect on platforms like TikTok or private chats on Discord, and Seitz thinks Audree consumed this kind of content off and on until her death.—
Meena Duerson,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Both off and on the festival grounds, these brands host a series of parties, pop-ups and other VIP events that lavish celebrities, influencers and artists with premium experiences.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Transitions between the two parents (and selves, and lives) are widely considered one of the toughest aspects of divorce for a child—sites of recurrent loss and awkward morphing.—
Jean Garnett,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Opponents of the Iranian dictatorship decry negotiation with a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people in recurrent waves of recent protests.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Placed sporadically throughout the galleries are screens displaying the idiosyncratic image of a single hand.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Mpox has been reported sporadically in central, east and west Africa, the agency said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Bell Street Bridge encampment was prioritized for closure as part of Downtown Rising – the first phase of Atlanta Rising, a multi-year campaign launched in 2025 to end unsheltered homelessness citywide and make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.—
Emily McLeod,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
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
Adverb
-
A student seated next to me laughed intermittently during Vance’s remarks.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Yet Levinson only feints intermittently in that direction, and his greater failure is how thin these characters feel.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Department of Homeland Security hasn’t published any national terrorism advisory bulletins, periodic updates to alert the public to the current threat level, since September.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Limited research exists on the health effects of periodic use.—
Suzanne Nuyen,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Federal law requires states to periodically remove ineligible voters, but if someone dies or moves away, there’s no requirement to notify the state.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Elements of the regimen have been periodically tweaked to fit the bureau’s needs, including over the past year under the leadership of FBI Director Kash Patel.—
Eric Tucker,
Fortune,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Burke spoke only to consent to intermittent interruptions of his preliminary hearing, allowing the court to address other pending matters.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
-
On the menu are cryotherapy chambers, red light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen sessions, intermittent hypoxic training, and vacuum therapy—all geared towards cellular recovery and holistic well-being.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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