on and off

Thân thiện

They keep in touch on and off over the years.

Definition

Adverb: In an intermittent or irregular manner; occurring or functioning at intervals, not continuously.

Usage

This adverb describes actions or states that happen periodically, with breaks or pauses in between. It emphasizes a pattern of starting and stopping.

Examples

• (The rain was not continuous; it started and stopped several times.)
• (Her employment has been intermittent, with periods of working and not working.)
• (The signal is not steady; it fades in and out.)

Advanced Usage

• "On and off" can often describe long-term habits or conditions that are not constant.
  • He's been studying Spanish on and off since high school.
• It can be used to describe the functioning of a device or system.
  • The streetlight flickered on and off.

Variants and Related Words

• Off and on: This is a common variant with identical meaning and usage.
  • We've been friends off and on since childhood.
• Intermittently (adverb): A more formal synonym.
• Sporadically (adverb): Another synonym implying scattered, unpredictable occurrences.

Synonyms

• Intermittently
• Sporadically
• Periodically
• Fitfully

Related Phrases

• Off again, on again: A phrase with a similar meaning, often describing an unstable relationship or plan.
  • Their engagement has been off again, on again for months.
• Stop and start: A phrase describing a process that proceeds irregularly.
  • The project progressed in a stop and start fashion.

Học thuật

Adverb

1. not regularly
   • they phone each other off and on

Từ đồng nghĩa

• off and on