off and on

Idioms  

1. Also, on and off.

2. Intermittently, from time to time. For example, I read his column off and on , or We've been working on the garden all summer, on and off . [Early 1500s]

3. Also, off again, on again ; on again, off again . Uncertain, vacillating, as in Theirs is an off again, on again relationship , or The peace talks are on again, off again . Some believe this term originally referred to minor railroad accidents, where a train went off track and then on again. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

Tensions off and on the field have been high since a deadly military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

From Barron's

A handful of gasoline stations may see their retail prices drop below $2 a gallon over the winter “off and on,” depending on oil prices, said De Haan.

From MarketWatch

Pellow now performs without the other members of Wet Wet Wet, having toured off and on with them over the years, but splitting permanently in 2017.

From BBC

He’s been prime minister 17 years off and on since 1996.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Sometimes they come back off and on for a couple months, sometimes not that long,” Steers said.

From Los Angeles Times