OFF AND ON Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

off and on

adverb

Definition of off and on

as in on and off

not constantly or steadily over a period of time They've been dating off and on for almost a year.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of off and on Northern Minnesota will see thunderstorms off and on throughout the day. — Mike Augustyniak, CBS News, 26 June 2026 To toggle your new pet off and on, type /pet into the composer, then use Wake Pet or Tuck Away Pet in Settings > Appearance. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 3 May 2026 Amazon’s streaming service, Prime Video, is the most chaotic major company out there, seemingly random in its assembly of new and classic titles that shuffle off and on the platform every month. — Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 19 June 2026 Between and among cover projects such as Holy Ghost Building and Gimme a Kickstart, Michael Roe, Mark Harmon, and Bruce Spencer worked on it off and on for 13 years. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for off and on

Recent Examples of Synonyms for off and on

Adverb

Handley recommends adding a small amount to your compost pile sporadically, then adding this to your soil or as a mulch at the base of your plants.

— Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 4 July 2026
My 21-year-old child responds only sporadically to texts and phone calls, often going days or weeks without a response.

— R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026

Definition of sporadically

Adverb

Roosevelt lived and ranched in North Dakota intermittently for about two years after the deaths of his wife and mother on the same day in 1884.

— Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Rosana Rodriguez, 33rd, whose office is in contact with Martinez-Sifontes’ family, said Albany Park has recently seen fewer ICE encounters than during earlier phases of Operation Midway Blitz, but said enforcement activity still surfaces intermittently.

— Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026

Definition of intermittently

Adverb

Unlike conventional porous carbons, which interact only weakly with polysulfides, COFs possess periodically arranged pores whose dimensions, chemical environments, and electronic characteristics can be programmed by design.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026
That passion was evident throughout the evening as supporters periodically broke into song.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026

Definition of periodically

Adverb

Infections, other immune-system stressors and, more rarely, brain injuries may also contribute in genetically susceptible individuals.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Even so, there’s rarely a backup of more than one hole, which is a credit to the course design and its wide selection of distances off the tee.

— Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 7 July 2026

Definition of rarely

Adverb

For the cover of the July 6 & 13, 2026, Body Issue, the cartoonist Edward Steed drew a foot, a body part that seldom gets our full attention.

— Françoise Mouly, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
In fact, birds tend to fly within the height of the tree canopy that seldom reaches above 100 feet.

— Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026

Definition of seldom

Browse Nearby Words

offal

off and on

off base

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Off and on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/off%20and%20on. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of off and on

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on off and on

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gambol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes