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
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Recent Examples of on and off
ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
Previously, Batula was married to Wilson’s friend, Kyle Cooke, and Wilson had a on-and-off relationship with Batula’s best friend, Ciara Miller.
—William Earl, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
Ice Cream and Reebok have had an on-and-off-again relationship since christening it with the Flavour sneaker in 2004.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 15 Apr. 2026
Driver starred as Adam Sackler, an on-and-off love interest for Dunham's character, Hannah.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
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
Adjective
Apple’s software is also the source of on-and-off griping, with last year’s Liquid Glass redesign occasioning some particularly harsh criticism.
—ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
Previously, Batula was married to Wilson’s friend, Kyle Cooke, and Wilson had a on-and-off relationship with Batula’s best friend, Ciara Miller.
—William Earl, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
Ice Cream and Reebok have had an on-and-off-again relationship since christening it with the Flavour sneaker in 2004.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 15 Apr. 2026
Driver starred as Adam Sackler, an on-and-off love interest for Dunham's character, Hannah.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for on and off
Adverb
-
Gubicza fought back tears both off and on the air Friday when talking about the longtime Angels outfielder, who died at 53 on Thursday.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Over the last 20 or so years he has been estranged off and on from various family members, including our parents (now deceased), his children and me.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Denver Post,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Other symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, recurrent nose bleeds, tiny red spots on your skin, excessive sweating and frequent or severe infections.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Other purchase decisions, such as impulse acquisitions or recurrent purchases, are made almost instantaneously with little or no investment of time or effort in information search.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Rather than dispersing plants sporadically, grouping them can significantly enhance their impact.—
Nolan Lewis,
Architectural Digest,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Reblooming bigleaf hydrangeas, for example, begin blooming in early summer and continue flowering sporadically until the first frost.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 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
-
Other possibilities include faulty wheel speed sensors or a brake pedal switch that’s intermittently failing.—
Hartford Courant,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Water District General Manager Erica Wolski said roads on Wildcat Canyon and San Vicente will have lane closures intermittently during the project.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Department of Homeland Security hasn’t published any national terrorism advisory bulletins, periodic updates to alert the public to the current threat level, since September.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Limited research exists on the health effects of periodic use.—
Suzanne Nuyen,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The staff manning the cart periodically struck the metal tops of the bottles of Clase Azul, a flourish that caused a few jumps among the more skittish attendees.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Shake the mixture and then spray it periodically on the lower leaves and stems of your garden plants.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Burke spoke only to consent to intermittent interruptions of his preliminary hearing, allowing the court to address other pending matters.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
-
On the menu are cryotherapy chambers, red light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen sessions, intermittent hypoxic training, and vacuum therapy—all geared towards cellular recovery and holistic well-being.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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