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
-
This type of fungal sinus infection typically requires surgery, followed by medical therapy to prevent recurrent infections.3 Saprophytic Fungal Sinusitis Saprophytic fungal sinusitis (SFS) initially presents without any symptoms.—
Laura Schober,
Health,
14 Apr. 2025
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The secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, a former Fox TV host, loads his X feed with images of himself working out in the gym and meeting with the mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, underscoring his feed’s recurrent theme of politicized hypermasculinity.—
James Poniewozik,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Adverb
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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
-
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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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
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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
Adverb
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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
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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
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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Over the next 40 years however single malts from the highland distillery trickled into the market through independent bottlers and occasionally official releases as well.—
Mark Littler,
Forbes.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 24 Apr. 2025.
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