ON AND OFF Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

on and off 1 of 2

adverb

Definition of on and off

as in off and on

not constantly or steadily over a period of time It's been raining on and off all afternoon.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

on-and-off

2 of 2

adjective

as in recurrent

occurring or appearing at intervals an on-and-off friendship over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of on and off

Adjective

The films, which center on the turbulent, and often toxic on-and-off relationship between Tessa Young and Hardin Scott, sold more than 12 million copies worldwide in 35 languages. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026 Their characters — mob boss Sonny Corinthos and Brenda Barrett, respectively — struck up a legendary on-and-off romance that lasted for years, before ultimately going their separate ways in 2011. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Aug. 2026 Hayden Panettiere's estranged mother, Lesley Vogel, is disputing the account of her daughter's final hours given by Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson. — Paris Close, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026 Continue reading … FIRST WORDS — Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson breaks his silence. — FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Her on-and-off boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, 37, and his brother Zach Hickerson, 38, were with her at the time of her death, authorities have said. — Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 Chase Stokes Chase Stokes is believed to be single after an on-and-off relationship with country music singer Kelsea Ballerini. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 21 Aug. 2026 Hayden Panettiere’s on-and-off boyfriend is being heard from for the first time since the 36-year-old star was found dead in a South Carolina residence Sunday afternoon. — Brian Niemietz, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 Hayden Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother were at the scene of her death, according to a police report obtained Tuesday by CBS News. — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for on and off

Adverb

Repeatedly taking your shoes off and on is time-consuming and exasperating.

— R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
All in all, the second seizure lasted about 4 hours off and on.

— Vanessa Romo, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of off and on

Adjective

The Federal Reserve was created to protect financial stability after recurrent banking panics.

— Joao Gomes, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
But in the new Phase I trial, Chen’s team designed a form of CAR-T cell therapy that targets B7-H3 and studied its effects in 15 patients with recurrent glioblastoma that had not responded to available therapies.

— Isabella Backman, Hartford Courant, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of recurrent

Adverb

Amid the heat wave, thousands of Southland residents were sporadically without power as outages popped up in different communities.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Smith was athletic enough to play all over the field and run track in high school and sporadically practiced with defensive backs in his two years at Georgia.

— PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of sporadically

Adjective

How Recurring Revenue Is The Pump There’s only one kind of funding that reliably shows up in year seven—recurring, unrestricted revenue.

— Sarah Evans, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Excluding non-recurring events, the magnitude of the average S & P 500 earnings surprise for the quarter is still about 11%.

— Sarah Min, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of recurring

Adverb

The company said Riley was hired in 2008 and worked there intermittently for a total of slightly more than four and a half years.

— Christopher Harris, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
In This Article Maintaining a beautiful lawn and garden often means keeping an eye on and managing pesky weeds that crop up intermittently.

— Alexandra Kelly, Martha Stewart, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of intermittently

Adjective

But amid a growing water crisis in the West, and periodic droughts in other parts of the country, constant water access is not a given.

— Simmone Shah, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
And periodic ceasefires during the war sent global oil prices lower – only to rise again whenever those agreements have lapsed or run out.

— Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of periodic

Adverb

Churches, neighborhoods, nonprofits, businesses, utilities and government should periodically engage in preparedness exercises so everyone understands their role.

— Freida Graves, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Credit line reviews typically follow monthly or quarterly cycles; attrition models are refreshed periodically and applied in batch.

— Julie Conroy, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of periodically

Adjective

None of this means intermittent fasting is a cure for ongoing pain and anxiety, of course.

— Mike McRae August 25, New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2026
Television released one more album in the Nineties and played intermittent reunions over the following decades, but officially dissolved in 2023 following the death of frontman Tom Verlaine.

— Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of intermittent

Browse Nearby Words

on all hands

on and off

on-and-off

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Cite this Entry

Style

“On and off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/on%20and%20off. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of on and off

adverb

adjective

Example Sentences

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