intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent
ˌin-tər-ˈmi-tᵊnt 
1
: coming and going at intervals : not continuous
intermittent rain
2
of a stream or body of water
: appearing and disappearing seasonally : sometimes dry
intermittently
adverb
raining intermittently
Examples of intermittent in a Sentence
In the intermittent light he could make out the shape of a solitary oak tree, spreading great arms from its short tremendous trunk.
—
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising, (1973) 1999
Decades of intermittent but recurring controversies with imperial authorities, and the lodestar of the glorious Revolution, disposed Americans to continue to believe that representation existed, first and foremost, to protect the rights of their communities against the abuse of executive power.
—Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings, 1996
Bronchodilators continue to play an important role in asthma treatment, especially for people who have relatively mild or intermittent attacks.
—Stephen Hoffmann, Harvard Medical School Health Letter, June 1991
The patient was having intermittent pains in his side.
The forecast is for intermittent rain.
Susan Cooper, The Dark is Rising, (1973) 1999
Decades of intermittent but recurring controversies with imperial authorities, and the lodestar of the glorious Revolution, disposed Americans to continue to believe that representation existed, first and foremost, to protect the rights of their communities against the abuse of executive power.
—Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings, 1996
Bronchodilators continue to play an important role in asthma treatment, especially for people who have relatively mild or intermittent attacks.
—Stephen Hoffmann, Harvard Medical School Health Letter, June 1991
The patient was having intermittent pains in his side.
The forecast is for intermittent rain.
Recent Examples on the Web
Roughly 164 were returned to non-pay intermittent status, while the rest were returned to paid administrative leave.
—Ashley Murray, Baltimore Sun, 19 Mar. 2025
The 2025 season opener in Australia was an intense race for all F1 teams considering the intermittent rainfall that led them to shift tire strategies according to the varying conditions.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
The caretaker authorities announced the end of security operations in the coastal areas on March 10, but intermittent clashes continue to be reported.
—Kareem El Damanhoury, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
The outage was random and intermittent, lasting for 45 minutes at a time, then resuming only to go dark again for another 45 minutes.
—John Brandon, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intermittent
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Ashley Murray, Baltimore Sun, 19 Mar. 2025
The 2025 season opener in Australia was an intense race for all F1 teams considering the intermittent rainfall that led them to shift tire strategies according to the varying conditions.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 16 Mar. 2025
The caretaker authorities announced the end of security operations in the coastal areas on March 10, but intermittent clashes continue to be reported.
—Kareem El Damanhoury, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
The outage was random and intermittent, lasting for 45 minutes at a time, then resuming only to go dark again for another 45 minutes.
—John Brandon, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for intermittent
Cite this Entry
“Intermittent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intermittent. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent
ˌint-ər-ˈmit-ᵊnt
: starting, stopping, and starting again
an intermittent fever
intermittently
adverb
Medical Definition
intermittent
adjective
in·ter·mit·tent
ˌint-ər-ˈmit-ᵊnt
: coming and going at intervals : not continuous
intermittent fever
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