as in on and off
not constantly or steadily over a period of time
They've been dating off and on for almost a year.
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Recent Examples of off and on
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
Since then, it’s charted off and on, bouncing in and out of weekly rankings all around the world, depending on spikes in interest, competition and streaming activity.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Has anyone tried to turn Elon off and on again?
Guns!
—Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off and on
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
Since then, it’s charted off and on, bouncing in and out of weekly rankings all around the world, depending on spikes in interest, competition and streaming activity.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
Has anyone tried to turn Elon off and on again?
Guns!
—Pat Beall, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for off and on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off and on
Adverb
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Over the decades, Manson and his followers appeared sporadically at parole hearings, where their bids for freedom were repeatedly rejected.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2025
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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
Adverb
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By periodically changing who has access to critical systems, especially for high-privilege roles, organizations can reduce the risk of any one person becoming a single point of failure.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
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Gardeners periodically pull up the cages attached to their docks, and clean off any algae or debris, to ensure that the oysters get plenty of water flow.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
24 May 2025
Adverb
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Commercial flights, meanwhile, are rarely convenient for such short-haul trips.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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But historian Stein pointed out that progress is rarely linear.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
28 May 2025
Adverb
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There are solid green and variegated cultivars that are drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and seldom bothered by insect pests.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
4 June 2025
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The measure has proven durable because its benefits were tangible, and voters seldom surrender benefits.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Off and on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off%20and%20on. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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