fits and starts
CulturalExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His speaking cadence mirrors his singing style, going in fits and starts, spilling out a series of thought fragments that somehow end up magically fitting together.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
I see a lot of promise with Siri AI, but given the fits and starts leading up to this point, I am proceeding with caution.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The affordability tour has only happened in fits and starts, however, and the president has not always stuck to the script.
From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026
After a courtship that unfurled in fits and starts, they married in 1996.
From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026
So by fits and starts, she followed Yuko into Islam.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
