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
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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
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
-
While the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has begun rolling back its shoes-off policy at security checkpoints, this ability to whip them off and on in seconds is still majorly convenient for travel.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Tarantino has toyed with a Kill Bill 3 off and on for years, with the movie potentially starring Uma Thurman and her daughter, Maya Hawke.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Among the recurrent themes are suicide, mysteriously intractable sorrow, and failed attempts at familial and romantic connection.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Surgical options, such as a hemorrhoidectomy, may also be necessary in especially serious or recurrent cases.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Embiid, too, has been sporadically resting his left knee.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Occasional light rain fell sporadically.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
6 Nov. 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
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This should further increase the bank's base of more recurring revenue streams.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
27 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Zverev has intermittently heeded the advice, but his last match before the start of the Tour Finals ended in a 6-0, 6-1 shellacking by Sinner, aggravated by swelling in his right ankle.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Internet access, disrupted during the election, appeared to be returning intermittently on Thursday.—
Reuters 10 hr ago,
CNN Money,
30 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
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These include electric vehicles with extended driving ranges, large-scale renewable energy storage systems that can balance intermittent solar and wind power, and lightweight, flexible power sources for portable and wearable electronics.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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Countries also need to work on better connecting intermittent renewables — those which work only when the sun shines or the wind blows — with batteries that can store their energy.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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