off and on
Not all along
Off and on describes something that happens intermittently—starting and stopping, present then absent, recurring without regularity.
We dated off and on for years.
It rained off and on all afternoon.
The phrase can also be written as on and off with identical meaning.
- from time to timeAt irregular intervals
- occasionallyAt infrequent intervals
- periodicallyAt recurring intervals
- sometimesAt irregular intervals
- once in a whileAt irregular intervals
sporadically · stop · start · every so often · episodic · irregularly · now and again · vacillating · flip flop · fitfully · now and then · in fits and starts · intermittent · erratic · fluctuating · inconsistent · button · unpredictable
- infrequencyrarely, seldom, infrequent, infrequently, occasionally
- oscillationoscillation, back and forth, back-and-forth, to and fro, ebb and flow
off and oncontinuously
Without pause or interruption
constantly · uninterruptedly · nonstop · perpetually · incessantly
off and onregularly
At fixed intervals
consistently · steadily · reliably · dependably · like clockwork
off and onwholeheartedly
With total commitment
devotedly · full-time · single-mindedly · seriously · earnestly
off, offset, offhand, offshoot, offload, offed, offs, offline, offing