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
Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 20 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
Over the years, the relationship has been reportedly on-and-off, including a brief breakup that occurred in 2022.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 20 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
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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
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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
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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
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All of that is a harder sell if fans are accustomed to watching only intermittently.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
27 Oct. 2025
-
More recently, Lockhart appeared intermittently as matriarch Maria Ramirez on General Hospital and guest-starred as Ryan Stiles’ mother on The Drew Carey Show, as the Tanner girls’ kindergarten teacher on Full House and as the grandmother of Tori Spelling on Beverly Hills, 90210.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Current solutions include using chloramine as a disinfectant, periodic backwashing to prevent biofilms from forming on the membrane, and air scouring.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Others in the area are checked periodically from satellites or aircraft.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Unlike other renewable sources of energy, which are intermittent, osmotic power runs 24 hours per day, independent of the weather.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Most areas along the western and northern lakeshore will see intermittent rain, though totals are lighter than the heaviest lake-effect bands farther north.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Freep.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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