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
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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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These two men clashed off and on over decades of friendship and collaboration interrupted by icy public feuds, largely rooted in fights about Michael’s unrepentant drug use.—
Shana Naomi Krochmal,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025 -
San Jose resident David Torres, 56, who has lived outside off and on for about 15 years, said city and water district employees tossed nearly all of his possessions during a January sweep of Penitencia Creek in San Jose, including new tools, food for his dogs and a bicycle.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
If anything, Trump's tariffs on Canada—combined with the recurrent reckless talk of annexation—seem to have caused the political collapse of Canada's Conservative Party on the precipice of a crucial national election.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Apr. 2025
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The dome is a recurrent motif in Vu’s practice and serves as a platform for projection mapping and a site for continuous immersive visitor engagement.—
CHRISTINA MAYO,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Johansson is married to SNL's Colin Jost and sporadically appears on the show as a host and in cameo appearances.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Many people develop the condition sporadically and without cause.—
Angelica Bottaro,
Verywell Health,
4 Apr. 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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The theme of a late night escape from the city is the periodic imprint’s entry into choice cuts here from artists including Kenny Burrell, Yusef Lateef and Gene Ammonsd.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
12 Apr. 2025
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Then came sriracha sauce, which first emerged in Thailand during the 1930s and is now so popular here that periodic shortages of the sauce cause panic buying.—
Laurie Ochoa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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Golf odds from BetOnline and leading online sportsbooks refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on futures, props and live betting.—
Jay Ginsbach,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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The 911 caller said an apparently intoxicated man - the teen - was wielding a kitchen knife and periodically chasing a man and woman in the yard, according to audio of the 911 call released by the Pocatello Police Department.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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During intermittent periods for minutes at a time, the NYPD and MTAPD strategically closed certain doors temporarily out of the hundreds of doors throughout the terminal to prevent additional demonstrators from entering.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Invisible geckos belt out intermittent clicks from the foliage, as brown pelicans sweep lazily across the sky, patrolling the shoreline for their daily fill.—
Ashlee Marie Preston,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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Source: University reports The endowment is not a piggy bank University endowments, though occasionally staggering in size, are not slush funds.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
17 Apr. 2025
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Early implementations have experienced technical glitches, such as those occasionally seen in MLB's 3D broadcasts, which sometimes led to humorous but unintended visual effects.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2025.
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