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
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Recent Examples of on and off
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
But behind the hot-and-cold production is an on-and-off process.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
The two were on-and-off for five years before the George Magazine mogul inevitably moved on to Carolyn Bessette.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 23 Feb. 2026
The rain is on-and-off almost constantly this far north, but luckily, Scotland looks good in grey.
—Timothy Latterner, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Feb. 2026
Below is a complete break-down of Kennedy and Hannah's on-and-off relationship that captivated the public for over five years.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 22 Feb. 2026
California has endured an on-and-off drought for decades.
—Annette McGivney, Outside, 19 Feb. 2026
The snow was expected to slow overnight, potentially helping rescue conditions, but on-and-off snow showers are expected through Wednesday as authorities brace for another coming storm Thursday that is expected to bring snow to the region.
—Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Based on Carola Lovering’s 2018 novel, Tell Me Lies follows a group of college friends and centers on the toxic on-and-off relationship between sophomore Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and senior Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White).
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
One, of course, is Trump’s on-and-off tariffs, which have left investors with little ability to assess international trade flows.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
But behind the hot-and-cold production is an on-and-off process.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
The two were on-and-off for five years before the George Magazine mogul inevitably moved on to Carolyn Bessette.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 23 Feb. 2026
The rain is on-and-off almost constantly this far north, but luckily, Scotland looks good in grey.
—Timothy Latterner, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Feb. 2026
Below is a complete break-down of Kennedy and Hannah's on-and-off relationship that captivated the public for over five years.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 22 Feb. 2026
California has endured an on-and-off drought for decades.
—Annette McGivney, Outside, 19 Feb. 2026
The snow was expected to slow overnight, potentially helping rescue conditions, but on-and-off snow showers are expected through Wednesday as authorities brace for another coming storm Thursday that is expected to bring snow to the region.
—Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
Based on Carola Lovering’s 2018 novel, Tell Me Lies follows a group of college friends and centers on the toxic on-and-off relationship between sophomore Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and senior Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White).
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for on and off
Adverb
-
Jackson had been homeless off and on for only about a year before being slain, his family says.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The rain will become more scattered in the evening and will continue off and on overnight.—
Kenton Gewecke,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The recurrent hope—in Texas and elsewhere—is that Republican extremism will finally alienate enough moderates to flip a seat.—
Tad Friend,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Then came recurrent ankle injuries that required him to compete with painkillers to get back into form for these Games.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
While glossy versions of the model have been released sporadically throughout the years, the brand has recently put more of an emphasis on the patent leather finish including a pink colorway previewed by designer Frank Cooke.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
That’s the exciting brand of soccer Wells has promised from the day he was hired — and the kind of sequence that played out sporadically at best over the past two seasons.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
This will be a semi-recurring role that films in January and February.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
Emergency alert sirens blared intermittently across the country on Saturday, and a state of emergency was announced by Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Once that occurred, the fact that the court still intermittently ruled against Orbán counted for little.—
David Pozen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That cycle has led him to periodic bouts of burnout.—
Heather Bushman,
IndyStar,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The fire caused periodic lane closures due to smoke and poor visibility on the stretch of Interstate 75 known as Alligator Alley.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
This footage is overlaid with rapidly shifting colors via video synthesizer, obscuring our view, and an iris that periodically frames the runner.—
Daniel R. Quiles,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Airlines have been periodically halting flights to the region for years as conflicts and associated security concerns arise.—
Dan Mangan,Leslie Josephs,Spencer Kimball,CJ Haddad,Justin Papp,Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This new radio technology continued to use GFSK but tuned for low duty cycles and intermittent bursts.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Yet their courtship, which took place over the next six months, was intermittent.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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