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
ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
Previously, Batula was married to Wilson’s friend, Kyle Cooke, and Wilson had a on-and-off relationship with Batula’s best friend, Ciara Miller.
—William Earl, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
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
Adjective
Apple’s software is also the source of on-and-off griping, with last year’s Liquid Glass redesign occasioning some particularly harsh criticism.
—ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
Previously, Batula was married to Wilson’s friend, Kyle Cooke, and Wilson had a on-and-off relationship with Batula’s best friend, Ciara Miller.
—William Earl, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for on and off
Adverb
-
The two friends have been going to the annual meeting off and on for roughly 15 years, leaving their husbands at home for a girls' trip to Omaha.—
Sarah Min,Yun Li,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
-
Multiple pieces of software and online tutorials exist for the captioning of YouTube videos in addition to instructions for turning the closed captioning feature in YouTube off and on.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Other symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, recurrent nose bleeds, tiny red spots on your skin, excessive sweating and frequent or severe infections.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Other purchase decisions, such as impulse acquisitions or recurrent purchases, are made almost instantaneously with little or no investment of time or effort in information search.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Rather than dispersing plants sporadically, grouping them can significantly enhance their impact.—
Nolan Lewis,
Architectural Digest,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Reblooming bigleaf hydrangeas, for example, begin blooming in early summer and continue flowering sporadically until the first frost.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 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
-
In Caveat, Isaac (Johnny French) and Olga (Leila Sykes) are both recovering from traumatic events that have left them impaired — him an amnesiac, her intermittently catatonic.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
The 73-year-old Weinstein kept his eyes trained on Mann throughout her Tuesday testimony, intermittently whispering to his attorney, Teny Geragos.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Next week looks to be cooler again, with periodic light rain chances.—
Joseph Dames,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
-
The government has also proposed limiting the number of guns someone can own to as few as four and implementing periodic reviews of existing gun licenses.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The staff manning the cart periodically struck the metal tops of the bottles of Clase Azul, a flourish that caused a few jumps among the more skittish attendees.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Shake the mixture and then spray it periodically on the lower leaves and stems of your garden plants.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The crew had intermittent toilet trouble from the first day of the mission.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
-
Ways to lower your blood sugar naturally include making lifestyle changes like walking after meals, eating more fiber, and using intermittent fasting.—
Cynthia Sass,
Health,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
