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
Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
Bre Tiesi and Nick Cannon Tiesi and Nick Cannon have been in an on-and-off relationship since first meeting on Wild 'n Out over a decade ago.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The romance rumors started swirling roughly a month after People reported that Perry and 48-year-old Bloom had ended their on-and-off relationship after nine years.
—Jami Ganz, Mercury News, 27 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
Adjective
After several years of on-and-off speculation about a revival of King of the Hill, Hulu gave the show a straight-to-series order in 2023.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
Bre Tiesi and Nick Cannon Tiesi and Nick Cannon have been in an on-and-off relationship since first meeting on Wild 'n Out over a decade ago.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
The romance rumors started swirling roughly a month after People reported that Perry and 48-year-old Bloom had ended their on-and-off relationship after nine years.
—Jami Ganz, Mercury News, 27 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
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
-
Surgical options, such as a hemorrhoidectomy, may also be necessary in especially serious or recurrent cases.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Traditionally, hormone therapeutic leuprolide is prescribed to treat recurrent prostate cancer – something indicated by elevated levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) following initial treatment.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
20 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
To be a successful independent filmmaker—that is, one who is even sporadically employed—is, in essence, to be a bit of a con man.—
Nick Pinkerton,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
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
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
-
Internet access, disrupted during the election, appeared to be returning intermittently on Thursday.—
Reuters 10 hr ago,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The royal pair seemed light and breezy, taking in their view from just behind the pitch-clock, standing to cheer intermittently and chatting briefly with their seatmates.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The new series, however, jumps back 27 years from the 1989-set It movie to bring us to 1962, an earlier cycle of Pennywise’s periodic rampaging.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Public markets offer transparency, governance, and liquidity; private firms, by contrast, often avoid periodic reporting and undergo less rigorous oversight.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Emergency doctors at UofL periodically conduct trainings on mass casualty scenarios.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Screens displayed the election results, periodically refreshed as onlookers awaited the most recent vote tally.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In the footage, the sounds come on in waves, rattling through the valley in intermittent thunders.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The Golden State’s heavy reliance on intermittent renewables such as wind and solar creates major reliability gaps when the sun sets or the wind stalls.—
Lora Myers,
Oc Register,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share