as in off and on
not constantly or steadily over a period of time
It's been raining on and off all afternoon.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in recurrent
occurring or appearing at intervals
an on-and-off friendship over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for on and off
Adverb
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Reinhart and Sprouse — who met while playing lovers on-screen on the CW series and dated off and on in real life for nearly three years — made their couple debut on the Gala's red carpet, confirming what fans suspected for some time.—
Tabitha Parent,
People.com,
5 May 2025 -
That date was less than two months after Steve Joyner — the legendary Johnson C. Smith basketball coach who won 600 games and also served as AD off and on for years for the Golden Bulls — retired from the college.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Yamal’s ascent toward superstardom, Lewandowski’s battle against father time, Raphinha’s rapid rise, and Pedri’s recovery from recurrent hamstring problems will have more to do with Madrid’s success than anything Alonso does.—
Brett Koremenos,
New York Times,
13 May 2025
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Most patients with advanced dementia are suitable candidates, especially with decreasing function, increasing confusion, and recurrent infections.—
Dr. Sabooh Mubbashar,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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The cemetery was only sporadically maintained by its caretaker, and raking the long grass gave me the eerie feeling of running my fingers through a child’s hair.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Formal training sessions occur sporadically, take time away from work and primarily focus on explicit knowledge rather than the practical experience that drives sound decision-making.—
Rajesh Rajagopalan,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Dobson says the research is coming now that the power engineering community increasingly recognizes cascading failures as a distinct and recurring problem—a concept that still elicited protests from power engineers in the aftermath of the 2003 blackout.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
14 Aug. 2013
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The strange makeup of recurring dreams Research has found that most recurring dreams have a negative tone with themes often related to helplessness, failure, or being chased.—
Stacey Colino,
TIME,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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That said, periodic servicing of Flocean’s desalination modules can be done using the same equipment and techniques as for subsea oil and gas equipment.—
Erik Kobayashi-Solomon,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
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Breaching these areas and killing bots will trigger periodic airdrops of more AI enemies, in increasing frequency and threat levels.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
2 May 2025
Adverb
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The groups hold meetings periodically and can potentially secure grant funding to accelerate prevention efforts such as ignition zone assessments and installing fire-resistant vents.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 May 2025
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PCMag will be there to keep you informed on all the Microsoft Build 2025 happenings, so be sure to check out our Build event page periodically.—
Michael Muchmore,
PC Magazine,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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According to devotees—especially followers of ketogenic and paleo diets or intermittent fasting—this intriguing combo boosts energy and concentration.—
Alessandra Signorelli,
Vogue,
30 Apr. 2025
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Over time, this loop of expectation and intermittent reward can create addictive behavioral patterns similar to those seen in gambling.—
Ximena Araya-Fischel,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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The camera moves, shooting her from this angle and that, and occasionally roving over various covers of Christie’s books.—
Mary McNamara,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
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To this observer, Vientos occasionally appears to press at the plate.—
Bernie Pleskoff,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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