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
Pia Singh, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
In California, that’s been an on-and-off reality for state government workers for years.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Christensen plays Angie, Will's friend and on-and-off again girlfriend, but in real life, she has been married to cyclist Cole Maness since September 2015.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Star also hinted at a resumption of the on-and-off romance between Emily and Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) in season six.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
From long-time supporters like Jane Fonda and Charlize Theron to on-and-off visitors like Laura Harrier and Zendaya, there's plenty of bob inspiration for every hair type and face shape.
—Omenaa Boakye, InStyle, 31 Dec. 2025
While the courier’s share of parcels delivered nationwide dropped from 62 percent in 2019 to below 24 percent in 2024, the on-and-off labor disruptions since last year’s month-long holiday season strike further accelerated that shift.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 Dec. 2025
Those hosting duties have been inconsistent, as the Peach Drop was planned on-and-off in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic began.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
Perry welcomed her daughter, Daisy Dove, in August 2020 with former fiancé Orlando Bloom; the couple, who dated on-and-off for nearly nine years, broke up this summer.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Shares of Serve Robotics are up 25% since the start of this year, but their history has been volatile, partly because of Nvidia’s on-and-off history with the company.
—Pia Singh, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
In California, that’s been an on-and-off reality for state government workers for years.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Christensen plays Angie, Will's friend and on-and-off again girlfriend, but in real life, she has been married to cyclist Cole Maness since September 2015.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Star also hinted at a resumption of the on-and-off romance between Emily and Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) in season six.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
From long-time supporters like Jane Fonda and Charlize Theron to on-and-off visitors like Laura Harrier and Zendaya, there's plenty of bob inspiration for every hair type and face shape.
—Omenaa Boakye, InStyle, 31 Dec. 2025
While the courier’s share of parcels delivered nationwide dropped from 62 percent in 2019 to below 24 percent in 2024, the on-and-off labor disruptions since last year’s month-long holiday season strike further accelerated that shift.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 23 Dec. 2025
Those hosting duties have been inconsistent, as the Peach Drop was planned on-and-off in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic began.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 16 Dec. 2025
Perry welcomed her daughter, Daisy Dove, in August 2020 with former fiancé Orlando Bloom; the couple, who dated on-and-off for nearly nine years, broke up this summer.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 12 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for on and off
Adverb
-
Newsom spent more than a week in practice, reading his script off teleprompters, off and on, and devouring its content, the insider says.—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Cones remained around the hole, off and on, through 2017.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
People with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome experience developmental delays, lack of speech, recurrent seizures or epilepsy, distinctive facial features, breathing issues and more.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Jan. 2026
-
But about 50% of people who achieve complete remission develop recurrent AML, when the disease comes back.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
30 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
On Heated Rivalry, Shane and Ilya’s romantic arc builds sporadically over the course of more than eight years.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Barcelona’s main threat is right-winger Lamine Yamal, who has the ability to beat two opponents single-handedly, so Jules Kounde tends to play more of a supporting role, sometimes holding his position and tucking into a back three, and pushing forward sporadically.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This will be a semi-recurring role that films in January and February.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Dec. 2025
-
The mother-son duo’s journey began when Udrea identified a pervasive and recurring problem among men with curly hair–razor bumps.—
Essence,
Essence,
2 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
Since the hotel closed, the building has been used as a training facility for police and been intermittently occupied by homeless people.—
Tyler Faurot,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Amazon intermittently has physical copies of the series available and sells it for its Kindle e-book platform.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Aim for Once a Week Spider plants are native to coastal areas of South Africa, which can experience periodic droughts.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Over the ensuing decades, periodic conflicts pitted Indigenous peoples of various pueblos against the colonizers.—
Peter C. Mancall,
The Conversation,
9 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
But unlike most commuters, Mamdani’s trip was documented by a photo and video crew, and periodically interrupted by neighbors wishing him luck.—
Jake Offenhartz,
Fortune,
3 Jan. 2026
-
Investors also periodically rotated out of tech and into value areas of the market due to worries of inflated valuations in the AI trade.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
3 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the past decade, intermittent mass protests have drawn participants from virtually every socioeconomic class, including ethnic minorities on the periphery of the country, labor movements, women, and bazaaris.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Atkins, keto, South Beach, the Zone, low carb, no carb, ultra-low fat, liquid only, Jillian Michaels, Jane Fonda, Suzanne Somers, full-body HIIT workouts, gym memberships, a YMCA weight coach, DietBet, StepBet, a Mediterranean diet, a vegetarian diet, the raw food diet, intermittent fasting.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
