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time and again

time and again

123 1.8
Happens again and again
  • idiom
  • Informal
: una y otra vez
  • I have explained this procedure time and again, but it seems people still do not understand.
  • proved time and again
  • repeated time and again
  • shown time and again

It's because it's been told time and again by parents, by teachers, by counselors, you can't.

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Examples

  • And yet, time and again, you were given warnings.

  • We came back time and again to the differences that mark us as Americans.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Do you know why this happens time and again?

  • Our best machines had failed time and again to complete a mission.

  • "I was trying to do my job," Roger's book reminds us time and again.

    Academic text (2001)
  • His people have learned time and again not to rely too heavily on Western promises of support, he said.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Thrawn had proved time and again that he knew what he was doing.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Training has proven time and again to be the most cost-effective solution to most common interoperability problems.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And time and again Japan has come out with great strength, has done more than most other countries in learning from the disasters that they've had to live through.

  • REPORTER 4: Time and again, these museums were robbed of untold riches.

Synonyms

often
vstime and again
∞ 1.0

Happens many times

is stronger, implying a very high frequency rather than usual times
all the time
vstime and again
∞ 1.0

Happens without stopping

is repeated often but allows separate occasions rather than nonstop
over and over
vstime and again
584 1.0

Many times in a row

is the idiom used for general frequent occurrence, less intense
frequently
vstime and again
411 1.0

Happening many times in a short time

is more emphatic, meaning very often rather than simply many times
repeatedly
vstime and again
390 1.0

It happens again and again

is the idiomatic phrase used for the same frequent occurrence
regularly
vstime and again
378 1.0

Often at the same or fixed times

is about frequent occasions without necessarily fixed timing
over and over again
vstime and again
303 1.0

Happens many times

is the more neutral idiom for the same repeated action
again and again
vstime and again
243 1.0

Many times on different occasions

is the same idea expressed in a slightly different form
continually
vstime and again
143 2.9

Happening again and again over time, often with short breaks

is about many separate occasions rather than near continuous occurrence
on a regular basis
vstime and again
111 2.3

Happens often at set times

is less focused on schedule, more on general frequent happening
oftentimes
vstime and again
  • Archaic
87 4.9

Happens many times, usually within a short time

is the common idiom used for very frequent repetition
time and time again
vstime and again
  • Informal
68 1.8

Very often on many occasions

is a shorter variant with the same sense
at every turn
vstime and again
42 3.5

Again and again in every situation

is about frequent occasions but without the sense of every possible situation
oft
vstime and again
  • Archaic
38 9.9

On many occasions

is the full idiomatic phrase rather than the short old form
nine times out of ten
vstime and again
  • Informal
16 2.0

In almost all cases

is similar but more general about repeated occasions, not probability
many a time
vstime and again
8 2.6

It happens often

is the more idiomatic modern way to say the same frequency
alway
vstime and again
  • Archaic
5 9.9

At all times

is the modern everyday phrase for frequent occurrence, not archaic form
repetitively
vstime and again
3 3.5

Again and again in the same way, often causing boredom or annoyance

is about frequent occurrence without implying monotony
ofttimes
vstime and again
  • Archaic
1 9.9

On many occasions

is the modern everyday expression for frequent occurrence
umpteen times
vstime and again
  • Informal
1 6.3

A very large number of times that are hard to count

is a neutral term for frequent occurrence without informal exaggeration
recurrently
vstime and again
1 4.3

Happens again and again at regular times

is used for frequent occurrence without implying fixed timing

Antonyms

508 1.0

Happens only a few times

118 1.7

Not happening or done very often

How Often

constantly
740 1.0
time and again
  • Informal
123 1.8
frequently
411 1.0
often
∞ 1.0
sometimes
∞ 1.0
occasionally
407 2.0
rarely
508 1.0

Surface Forms

time and again positive

Morphology

time + and + again

The meaning 'very often; repeatedly' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'time' (an occasion) with 'again' (once more), so the phrase signals repeated occasions. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. 'una y otra vez' in Spanish), making it readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the parts.

Etymology

Time and again gives a clear image: time passes and the same thing happens again and again. That's why it means 'very often' or 'repeatedly'.