off and on

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]

Example Sentences

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

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

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“I never understood how a surgeon could operate for 20 hours,” said Gordon, 55, who has been director of Villa Aurora off and on since 2002 and is also director of administration for both houses.

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There were parts in light comedies both off and on Broadway, which led first to minor television roles and then to some film work.

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After months of living off and on in a nearby tent camp, Samar and Abdullah reclaimed their shattered house late last year.

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