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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Grace Daniel has dealt with homelessness off and on for years.—
Jonathan M. Pitts,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Jan. 2025 -
Bell also flexed into the backfield as a fullback, something Van Pelt has experimented with off and on.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
3 Dec. 2024
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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It was performed both preventatively and, in the case of some medieval religious communities, periodically as part of monastic bodily regulation and discipline.—
Megan Cassidy-Welch,
CNN,
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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This intermittent series of eruptions began on Dec. 23, 2024, said the agency.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2025
Adverb
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Since then, they could only be glimpsed occasionally on the zoo's social media feed (including rolling around in the flurries during a snowstorm earlier this month).—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
24 Jan. 2025
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His forehand then got messy under Sinner’s relentless pressure, and the increasingly indomitable Italian morphed into his maximally efficient, occasionally frightening, error-inducing self as the night wore on.—
Matthew Futterman,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 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 6 Feb. 2025.
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