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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Szabo, who has overseen the city’s compliance with the settlement agreement, was questioned off and on during four hearing days.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025 -
Rain is expected on Tuesday with off and on drizzle before 11 a.m.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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The findings of the survey come in contrast to a recent Pew Research Center poll, released in January, which found roughly equal shares of American men and women experience recurrent loneliness.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
21 May 2025
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Symmetry through recurrent objects entered in the frame is common, with temporal match-cuts employed to take us from day to night, or even sunlight to surrounding snow.—
David Katz,
IndieWire,
18 May 2025
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
Adjective
-
Does this bring him into a more recurring, regular role?—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
9 May 2025
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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
Adjective
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Modern belt drive systems, such as those from Gates, are made of a complex mixture of materials (above) that provide a service life far longer than a chain, operate in near silence, and require little to no maintenance, apart from periodic tension adjustments.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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The suit claims the Trump administration’s decision to cut short the duration of immigration and work authorizations for Haitians was done in violation of immigration law and without the proper periodic review that the TPS statute requires.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
28 May 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
Adjective
-
Residents lack running water, use 5-gallon buckets as toilets and must contend with intermittent electricity and deteriorating homes that expose them to the region’s fierce weather.—
Emily Schwing,
ProPublica,
29 May 2025
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The issues appeared to be largely resolved by around 10 a.m., but some users experienced intermittent issues with the platform until about 11 a.m.—
Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
24 May 2025
Adverb
-
For weeks, Combs, 55, has maintained an attentive and easygoing presence inside a Manhattan federal courtroom — occasionally shaking his head, fidgeting in his seat or passing sticky notes to his attorneys.—
Danielle Bacher,
People.com,
5 June 2025
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The View From Democrats Democrats on both sides of the Capitol sound eager to work with Republicans to rein in Palantir, which is known for its secrecy and the occasionally bombastic rhetoric of its leadership.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
5 June 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 8 Jun. 2025.
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