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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of off and on
Injuries limited him to 36 games last season and various ailments have dogged him off and on the past few years.
—
Greg Cote
may 25,
Miami Herald,
25 May 2026
If your Fingerling is not responding, try turning your pet off and on.
—
Bestreviews,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
To toggle your new pet off and on, type /pet into the composer, then use Wake Pet or Tuck Away Pet in Settings > Appearance.
—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
3 May 2026
The two friends have been going to the annual meeting off and on for roughly 15 years, leaving their husbands at home for a girls' trip to Omaha.
—
Sarah Min,yun Li,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for off and on
Greg Cote
may 25,
Miami Herald,
25 May 2026
If your Fingerling is not responding, try turning your pet off and on.
—
Bestreviews,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
To toggle your new pet off and on, type /pet into the composer, then use Wake Pet or Tuck Away Pet in Settings > Appearance.
—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
3 May 2026
The two friends have been going to the annual meeting off and on for roughly 15 years, leaving their husbands at home for a girls' trip to Omaha.
—
Sarah Min,yun Li,
CNBC,
1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for off and on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for off and on
Adverb
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But in a roughly 30-minute interview, Nunn invoked the president only sporadically and called himself one of the most bipartisan members of Congress.
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Flowers first appear in spring and then sporadically through summer and fall.
Adverb
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Roosevelt lived and ranched in North Dakota intermittently for about two years after the deaths of his wife and mother on the same day in 1884.
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Rosana Rodriguez, 33rd, whose office is in contact with Martinez-Sifontes’ family, said Albany Park has recently seen fewer ICE encounters than during earlier phases of Operation Midway Blitz, but said enforcement activity still surfaces intermittently.
Adverb
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Unlike conventional porous carbons, which interact only weakly with polysulfides, COFs possess periodically arranged pores whose dimensions, chemical environments, and electronic characteristics can be programmed by design.
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That passion was evident throughout the evening as supporters periodically broke into song.
Adverb
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Over three days in the downtown courtroom in June, a Times reporter observed how many immigrants were funneled into the courtroom in groups, and the judge rarely addressed them directly, typically calling up around five cases at a time.
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Some of these eye-popping rocks are so massive and expensive, they're rarely seen in public—but their owners serve up a rare glimpse now and then to remind the world that diamonds really are a girl’s best friend.
Adverb
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For the cover of the July 6 & 13, 2026, Body Issue, the cartoonist Edward Steed drew a foot, a body part that seldom gets our full attention.
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In fact, birds tend to fly within the height of the tree canopy that seldom reaches above 100 feet.
Cite this Entry
“Off and on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off%20and%20on. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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