on and off

on and off — idiom

1. describes actions or situations that happen repeatedly with pauses, rather than

1.idiomB1
Definition

describes actions or situations that happen repeatedly with pauses, rather than happening all at once without a break.

Example

Mei-Lin and her ex-boyfriend have been getting back together on and off for years.

present perfect continuous + on and off for describing ongoing intermittent situation

It rained on and off throughout the afternoon, so the picnic was a bit of a washout.

on and off + throughout to mark the time span

Common collocations
  • rain on and off
  • work on and off
  • date / see someone on and off
  • study / learn something on and off
  • run / work on and off (of machines)
Synonyms
  • intermittently

    more formal; commonly used in writing and academic contexts

  • sporadically

    suggests irregular, unpredictable timing with longer gaps

  • off and on

    identical meaning and usage; the alternative word order

  • from time to time

    less precise about the repeated stopping and starting; suggests occasional occurrence rather than active alternation

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

on and off + [clause describing repeated action]

Usage Note

The variant form "off and on" is equally common and interchangeable in all contexts. The phrase is typically placed after the verb or at the beginning or end of a clause.

Common Mistakes

The music played on and on all night.' (when meaning intermittently).
The music played on and off all night.
'on and on' means continuously without stopping, which is the opposite of 'on and off'.

Synonym discussion

Sense: idiom/1

All four expressions describe something that does not happen all the time, but they differ in timing and frequency. "Off and on" is a direct synonym of "on and off" with identical meaning and usage. "Intermittently" is more formal and suggests a regular stop-and-start pattern, like a train that runs intermittently every half hour. "Sporadically" implies unpredictable, scattered occurrences with long gaps — for example, a disease that appears sporadically in different regions. "Occasionally" is the least intense of the group; it simply means 'sometimes' without emphasising the stopping-and-starting nature. If a patient has back pain on and off, it stops and returns many times. If they have back pain occasionally, it simply happens from time to time with no strong sense of alternation.

intermittently ↗sporadically ↗occasionally ↗off and on

Etymology

English

The phrase comes from the image of turning a switch on and then off repeatedly, creating a pattern where something alternates between active and inactive states. It has been used figuratively in English since the 16th century to describe any repeated, interrupted activity.

First known use

1668

1668, in the meaning defined above