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
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
This on-and-off rain pattern continues for Wednesday and Thursday.
—Shane Hinton, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced Matvei Rumiantsev, a 23-year-old Russian national, to two years in prison after being found guilty of assault for abusing his on-and-off girlfriend.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026
Trump said at the start of a roughly five-minute, on-and-off diatribe on the Sharpie.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
After years of an on-and-off feud — which viewers had grown tired of — Giudice, Gorga and Joe Gorga, Giudice’s brother (who’s also in the main cast), made up last year.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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
This on-and-off rain pattern continues for Wednesday and Thursday.
—Shane Hinton, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced Matvei Rumiantsev, a 23-year-old Russian national, to two years in prison after being found guilty of assault for abusing his on-and-off girlfriend.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026
Trump said at the start of a roughly five-minute, on-and-off diatribe on the Sharpie.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
After years of an on-and-off feud — which viewers had grown tired of — Giudice, Gorga and Joe Gorga, Giudice’s brother (who’s also in the main cast), made up last year.
—Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for on and off
Adverb
-
Other users invited her to connect on platforms like TikTok or private chats on Discord, and Seitz thinks Audree consumed this kind of content off and on until her death.—
Meena Duerson,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Both off and on the festival grounds, these brands host a series of parties, pop-ups and other VIP events that lavish celebrities, influencers and artists with premium experiences.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Opponents of the Iranian dictatorship decry negotiation with a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people in recurrent waves of recent protests.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The researchers watched each adult closely for about three years and examined how many had a recurrent heart attack, were hospitalized for heart failure or died from any cause.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The country has sporadically attacked ships in and around the Persian Gulf and may have laid mines to deter shipowners and crews from attempting to traverse the narrow waterway.—
Angela Cullen,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Those soft stripes are seen woven sporadically throughout the fluffy look, like in her tendrils and along the crown.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
8 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
-
A student seated next to me laughed intermittently during Vance’s remarks.—
Isaac Stanley-Becker,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Yet Levinson only feints intermittently in that direction, and his greater failure is how thin these characters feel.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Taking periodic breaks — for example, a few nights off each week — may help reduce the likelihood of mild tolerance build up.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
16 Apr. 2026
-
There isn't a lot of research on the health effects of periodic use, though other studies show weight regain after stopping GLP-1s is faster compared to other diets that focus on behavior changes.—
Yuki Noguchi,
NPR,
15 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
These networks are strongest if people step in to provide accountability, check in periodically and help navigate care when needed.—
Michal Ruprecht,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Integrity’s space toilet—the first ever to fly on a lunar mission—has, for lack of better terms, pooped out periodically throughout the mission, forcing the crew to use backup collapsible plastic urine containers for relief.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Team Pritzker lauds last year’s amendments to CEJA, which included a new surcharge on electric bills to support the construction of batteries that can store power from intermittent sources like wind and solar and deploy the juice when later needed.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Since their fourth album, 2013’s Tomorrow’s Harvest, intermittent signs of life have appeared in the form of seemingly random remixes, archival reissues, and an NTS DJ mix.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
