off and on

Examples

• All

• And so we dated off and on at at Stanford.

  Rich Roll

• Me and her, we've been together off and on since we were kids.

  Late Checkout (2023)

• I kept in touch with her off and on over the next few years.

  Frances (1982)

• Mm, off and on for the past couple of days.

  Exposure 36 (2021)

• Not steady, just off and on.

  No Regrets (2016)

• Off and on, but mostly on.

  The Transcendents (2018)

• I've been listening to the show off and on for a while now.

  Theo Von Clips

• No, no, I've been seeing someone off and on, but nothing serious.

  Criminal Activities (2015)

• Jay and Debbie have been sleeping together off and on for about a year.

  Fiction book (1993)

• Becca was watching an afternoon soap opera she'd seen off and on since she was a kid.

  Fiction book (2001)

Synonyms

S

sometimes

vsoff and on

∞ 1.0

On some occasions but not always

is the same idea framed as an informal phrase

A

at times

vsoff and on

451 1.0

Happens sometimes but not often

is the same intermittent idea used in casual speech

O

occasionally

vsoff and on

438 2.0

Happens sometimes but not often

is the same occasional timing expressed as a phrase

O

once in a while

vsoff and on

427 1.6

Sometimes, but not very often

shares occasional timing but implies more regular occurrence

N

now and then

vsoff and on

• Informal

285 1.0

Happens sometimes but not very often

shares the same meaning but is a common two-word phrase

F

from time to time

vsoff and on

267 1.4

Happens sometimes but not regularly

is the same general idea but in a common spoken form

E

every now and then

vsoff and on

137 2.0

Sometimes, not very often

conveys the same occasionality but with a longer colloquial form

O

on occasion

vsoff and on

79 1.7

It happens sometimes but not very often

means the same occasional idea but in a more formal tone

O

on and off

vsoff and on

73 2.0

Happens sometimes but not regularly

expresses the same intermittent occurrence in everyday speech

N

now and again

vsoff and on

• Informal

54 2.3

Happens sometimes but not very often

expresses the same sporadic occurrence in a slightly different phrasing

O

off-and-on

vsoff and on

3 3.8

Happening sometimes and stopping at other times

means the same intermittent action but without written hyphenation

Antonyms

R

regularly

386 1.0

Often at the same or fixed times

C

continuously

95 2.3

Happens without stopping or pausing

How Often

periodic

47 3.9

intermittently

15 6.0

off and on

30 2.5

occasionally

438 2.0

seldom

122 1.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology