: existing briefly and in an intermittent unpredictable way
on-again, off-again fads

Examples of on-again, off-again in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
She was long seen as a rising G.O.P. star but her allure in the party has declined amid her on-again, off-again embrace of Trump. Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2023 Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson had an on-again, off-again relationship from 2008 to 2009. Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 15 Mar. 2023 Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth get engaged After three years as an on-again, off-again couple, Hemsworth proposed to Cyrus in 2012 with a 3.5-carat ring from Neil Lane. Diana Pearl, Peoplemag, 10 Mar. 2023 Among those most invested in securing better coverage on Fox for Trump is Jason Miller, his longtime on-again, off-again spokesman. Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey and Sarah Ellison, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Mar. 2023 During the months of intense uncertainty that followed, Ali stuck with the company, attempting to tune out the deluge of news about the on-again, off-again deal to focus on her health and the health of her child. Clare Duffy, CNN, 6 Mar. 2023 Also at large is Neda Kapur, an idealistic journalist who has an on-again, off-again affair with Sunny. Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2023 She was long seen as a rising G.O.P. star but her allure in the party has declined amid her on-again, off-again embrace of Mr. Trump. Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2023 She's defended Hailey in the past, asking her fans to stop attacking the woman Justin married in September 2018 following the final off in their on-again, off-again relationship in spring of that year. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of on-again, off-again was in 1946

Dictionary Entries Near on-again, off-again

Cite this Entry

“On-again, off-again.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on-again%2C%20off-again. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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