Synonyms

off and on

Idioms

Also, on and off.
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]
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]

Vocabulary lists containing off-and-on

Occasional

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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.

I had used them off and on for years and I always lied.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

After frantic work in the garage, Mercedes managed to fix Russell's car by applying a series of default procedures such as switching the car off and on again and swapping out the steering wheel.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

I know people are chapped about start/stop systems, which cycle engines off and on when the vehicle is not moving, in order to save fuel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

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

From Barron's • Nov. 16, 2025

Derrik joked with me off and on, but generally found me too reserved for his tastes.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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