on-off
adjective
1
: used to turn something on and off
an on-off switch
2
: relating to something that is sometimes on and sometimes off
a switch set to a random on-off pattern
Examples of on-off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
During the final stretch of secondary school, the popular Connell (Mescal) and wallflower Marianne (Edgar-Jones) begin an on-off romance that extends for the next four years, ultimately defining that era of their lives.
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Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
After nearly two decades of on-off negotiations, the deal will pave the way for India to open up its vast and guarded market to free trade with the 27-nation EU, its biggest trading partner.
—CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
But forget about the on-off differential — the Raptors came into the game a little stingier with Barnes off the floor than on it — and think about what Barnes has had to do this season.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
In cities, where environmental pressures usually overlap and blur together, that kind of on-off switch is almost never available.
—New Atlas, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for on-off
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Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Jan. 2026
After nearly two decades of on-off negotiations, the deal will pave the way for India to open up its vast and guarded market to free trade with the 27-nation EU, its biggest trading partner.
—CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
But forget about the on-off differential — the Raptors came into the game a little stingier with Barnes off the floor than on it — and think about what Barnes has had to do this season.
—Eric Koreen, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
In cities, where environmental pressures usually overlap and blur together, that kind of on-off switch is almost never available.
—New Atlas, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for on-off
Cite this Entry
“On-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on-off. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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