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
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Although copper has been mined in the area surrounding Oak Flat off and on since the 1870s, the current struggle over the fate of the campground — deemed sacred by Apaches and other Native peoples and ecologically sensitive by environmentalists — has a history of at least 30 years.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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Five northern counties remained under a flood watch, with up to three inches of rain possible through Monday night in areas that have been drenched off and on since around Christmas, said the National Weather Service office in Eureka.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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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Our boss, who had been whisked off the House floor to a secure location, was only intermittently reachable.—
Zach Fisch,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
-
For drivers, eastbound Lake Street between State and Wabash will be intermittently closed during non-peak hours.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
2 Jan. 2026
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 8 Jan. 2026.
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