Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

fits and starts

Cultural  

  1. To do something in “fits and starts” is to do it intermittently or sporadically: “Martina has been working on her master's thesis in fits and starts; she needs to work on it consistently.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

After fits and starts, Apple seems to have a plan on the AI front.

From Barron's

The U.S. has tried in fits and starts over many decades to develop hypersonic-speed weapons with minimal success.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We will be looking for follow-through from the fits and starts of last year.”

From MarketWatch

But the IPO market had its fair share of fits and starts in 2025, with Liberation Day-related volatility and a fall government shutdown temporarily leading to lulls in new issuance activity.

From Barron's

Turnarounds take time and progress in fits and starts.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.