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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Rain will continue Saturday, Sunday and Monday, off and on, and is expected to peak Monday night into Tuesday, with dry conditions Wednesday and more on Thursday.—
Paul Rogers,
The Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2025 -
After turning the router off and on again, many devices, including my Pixel and iPhone, struggled to reconnect.—
Simon Hill,
WIRED,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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More often, the broad sweep of history serves as recurrent inspiration for designers, such as Italian Renaissance paintings for Maria Grazia Chiuri at Christian Dior, Medieval tapestries for Dries van Noten, or 18th-century delicacies evoked by John Galliano and Christian Louboutin.—
Lisa Klaassen and Serene Nourrisson,
CNN,
26 Jan. 2025
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Its recurrent vanity is that its heroes stood alone.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
The New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2025
Adverb
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But aside from the sporadically interesting anecdote or observation, most of the talking head discussion don’t illuminate what isn’t already plain to see.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
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For years, the list of foods in the thrifty plan was updated only sporadically.—
Matthew Yglesias,
The Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Anxiety about pocketbook issues, however, formed a recurring and persistent theme.—
David Lauter,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Sep. 2024
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The company has bolstered its software and securities business to diversify and bring in more recurring subscription revenue.—
Ari Levy,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2024
Adjective
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The movement was classified by periodic pulses, or bursts of mobility that lasted for one to two hours.—
Julianna Bragg,
CNN,
31 Jan. 2025
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The hum is punctuated with the crackle of flames and the buckling of timber and the periodic pop of exploding gas lines somewhere in the distance, all of which gets louder as the fire bears down on you.—
Peter Kiefer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
31 Jan. 2025
Adverb
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Listen to this article Homeowners and HOAs periodically face major construction contracts for renovation or repairs, particularly after a disaster.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Jan. 2025
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Relationship Questioned at Trial A$AP Rocky Trial: Everything To Know About Shooting As Court Starts A$AP Rocky's Various Legal Troubles A$AP Rocky's legal troubles date back even further, reflecting a pattern of incidents that have periodically interrupted his career.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Battery experts would expect the intermittent pulses of charge, which have a higher C-rate than continuous charging models, to age batteries faster than standard procedures do.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
29 Jan. 2025
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Preceded by intermittent spatter fountains earlier in the afternoon, sustained fountaining began from the north vent, feeding multiple lava streams.—
Jonathan Granoff,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Adverb
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Cut loose by the Pirates after the 1957 season, Montemayor was signed to minor league contracts with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, occasionally appearing in major league spring training games over the next three years.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
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The base already houses a migrant facility - separate from the high-security U.S. prison for foreign terrorism suspects - that has been used occasionally for decades, including to hold Haitians and Cubans picked up at sea.—
Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali,
USA TODAY,
4 Feb. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near on and off
Cite this Entry
“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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