on-off
adjective
1
: used to turn something on and off
an on-off switch
2
: relating to something that is sometimes on and sometimes off
a switch set to a random on-off pattern
Examples of on-off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The two were involved in an on-off relationship from 2007 until about 2018.
—
TIME, 19 May 2024
At the end of season 3, Parker's character Carrie Bradshaw found herself with a brand new house but no boyfriend, as her on-off beau Aidan Shaw, played by John Corbett, returned to Virginia to parent his troubled son Wyatt.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
The genomes of complex multicellular eukaryotes today, in fact, are massive and full of repeating sequences, on-off switches and intricate controls on gene expression, features that seem to enable some of the complexity seen in eukaryotic life.
—Quanta Magazine, 2 May 2024
Liuzzo said that Elizabeth II’s son, who reportedly was always cash-strapped, once woke him up to ask to borrow $10,000 to handle some personal matter involving model Angie Everhart, described as his on-off girlfriend.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
The musician — real name Colson Baker — marked turning 34 on April 22 with a party at his home, and two days after the bash, MGK posted a series of photos from the celebration, including one with his on-off girlfriend Megan Fox.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
Love, and more specifically the on-off situationship at its heart, is the only thing this drama cares about.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, customers have slammed its on-off Dollar Menu for not having a single $1 item.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024
McCulloch and Pitts never imagined that their cartoon neurons could be trained, using data, so that their on-off states linked to certain properties in that data.
—Dan Rockmore, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024
TIME, 19 May 2024
At the end of season 3, Parker's character Carrie Bradshaw found herself with a brand new house but no boyfriend, as her on-off beau Aidan Shaw, played by John Corbett, returned to Virginia to parent his troubled son Wyatt.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
The genomes of complex multicellular eukaryotes today, in fact, are massive and full of repeating sequences, on-off switches and intricate controls on gene expression, features that seem to enable some of the complexity seen in eukaryotic life.
—Quanta Magazine, 2 May 2024
Liuzzo said that Elizabeth II’s son, who reportedly was always cash-strapped, once woke him up to ask to borrow $10,000 to handle some personal matter involving model Angie Everhart, described as his on-off girlfriend.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
The musician — real name Colson Baker — marked turning 34 on April 22 with a party at his home, and two days after the bash, MGK posted a series of photos from the celebration, including one with his on-off girlfriend Megan Fox.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
Love, and more specifically the on-off situationship at its heart, is the only thing this drama cares about.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, customers have slammed its on-off Dollar Menu for not having a single $1 item.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024
McCulloch and Pitts never imagined that their cartoon neurons could be trained, using data, so that their on-off states linked to certain properties in that data.
—Dan Rockmore, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near on-off
Cite this Entry
“On-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on-off. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
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