Phrase guide

from time to time

prep_phrase · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

Occasionally; sometimes; once in a while.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

prep_phrase

Meaning 2

In whatever status exists at various times.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

prep_phrase

Meaning 3

Continuously from one time to another; at all times, constantly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

now and then or here and there

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was arrogant and occasionally callous
  • open areas are only occasionally interrupted by clumps of trees
  • they visit New York on occasion
  • now and again she would take her favorite book from the shelf and read to us
  • as we drove along, the beautiful scenery now and then attracted his attention

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: occasionally, on occasion, once in a while, now and then, now and again, at times

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

96 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: van tyd tot tyd — occasionally
  • Arabic: بَيْنَ ٱلْحِينِ وَٱلْآخَرِ (bayna l-ḥīni wal-ʔāḵari) — occasionally
  • Arabic: بين وقت وآخر — occasionally
  • Azerbaijani: hərdən bir — occasionally
  • Bulgarian: от време на време (ot vreme na vreme) — occasionally
  • Catalan: de tant en tant — occasionally
  • Catalan: ara i adés — occasionally
  • Catalan: adesiara — occasionally
  • Chinese Cantonese: 耐唔耐 — occasionally
  • Chinese: 時而 /时而 (sî-lî / sî-jî) — occasionally
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偶爾 /偶尔 (ǒu'ěr) — occasionally
  • Chinese Mandarin: 不時 /不时 (bùshí) — occasionally
  • Chinese Mandarin: 間或 /间或 (jiànhuò) — occasionally
  • Czech: čas od času — occasionally
  • Czech: občas — occasionally
  • Danish: fra tid til anden — occasionally
  • Danish: nu og da — occasionally
  • Dutch: van tijd tot tijd — occasionally
  • Esperanto: de tempo al tempo — occasionally
  • Esperanto: tempaltempe — occasionally
  • Esperanto: fojfoje — occasionally
  • Estonian: aegajalt — occasionally
  • Estonian: vahetevahel — occasionally
  • Finnish: toisinaan — occasionally
  • Finnish: ajoittain — occasionally
  • Finnish: silloin tällöin — occasionally
  • Finnish: aika ajoin — occasionally
  • French: de temps en temps — occasionally
  • Georgian: დროდადრო (drodadro) — occasionally
  • Georgian: დროგამოშვებით (drogamošvebit) — occasionally
  • Georgian: ხანდახან (xandaxan) — occasionally
  • German: von Zeit zu Zeit — occasionally
  • Greek: από καιρό σε καιρό (apó kairó se kairó) — occasionally
  • Greek: από καιρού εις καιρόν (apó kairoú eis kairón) — occasionally
  • Greek: πού και πού (poú kai poú) — occasionally
  • Hebrew: לְעִתִּים (le'itím) — occasionally
  • Hungarian: időnként — occasionally
  • Hungarian: időről időre — occasionally
  • Ido: de tempo a tempo — occasionally
  • Ingrian: välistää — occasionally
  • Irish: ó am go ham — occasionally
  • Italian: di tanto in tanto — occasionally
  • Italian: ogni tanto — occasionally
  • Italian: di quando in quando — occasionally
  • Japanese: 時々 (tokidoki) — occasionally
  • Korean: 가끔 (gakkeum) — occasionally
  • Korean: 때때로 (ttaettaero) — occasionally
  • Norwegian Bokmål: fra tid til annen — occasionally
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nå og da — occasionally
  • Norwegian Bokmål: av og til — occasionally
  • Norwegian Bokmål: i ny og ne — occasionally
  • Norwegian Bokmål: iblant — occasionally
  • Norwegian Bokmål: en gang imellom — occasionally
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: frå tid til anna — occasionally
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: nå og då — occasionally
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: av og til — occasionally
  • Pali: kālenakālaṃ — occasionally
  • Persian: گهگاه (gahgâh) — occasionally
  • Persian: گاه به گاه (gâh be gâh) — occasionally
  • Persian: هر از گاهی (har-az-gâhi) — occasionally
  • Persian: هر چند وقت یک بار (har-čand-vaqt-yek-bâr) — occasionally
  • Plautdietsch: enjawiess — occasionally
  • Polish: od czasu do czasu — occasionally
  • Polish: raz na jakiś czas — occasionally
  • Portuguese: de vez em quando — occasionally
  • Portuguese: às vezes — occasionally
  • Portuguese: volta e meia — occasionally
  • Romanian: din când în când — occasionally
  • Russian: вре́мя от вре́мени (vrémja ot vrémeni) — occasionally
  • Russian: времена́ми (vremenámi) — occasionally
  • Russian: поро́й (porój) — occasionally
  • Russian: иногда́ (inogdá) — occasionally
  • Serbo-Croatian: с времена на време — occasionally
  • Serbo-Croatian: časomice — occasionally
  • Serbo-Croatian: s vremena na vreme — occasionally
  • Slovak: sem-tam — occasionally
  • Spanish: de vez en cuando — occasionally
  • Spanish: a veces — occasionally
  • Swahili: mara kwa mara — occasionally
  • Swedish: då och då — occasionally
  • Swedish: stundom — occasionally
  • Swedish: tid efter annan — occasionally
  • Tagalog: paminsan-minsan — occasionally
  • Tagalog: pana-panahon — occasionally
  • Turkish: zaman zaman — occasionally
  • Turkish: ara ara — occasionally
  • Ukrainian: час від ча́су (čas vid čásu) — occasionally
  • Urdu: کبھی کبھار (kabhī-kabhār) — occasionally
  • Urdu: کبھی کبھی (kabhī-kabhī) — occasionally
  • Urdu: گاہے ماہے (gāhe-māhe) — occasionally
  • Urdu: بعض اوقات (bāz-auqāt) — occasionally
  • Urdu: گاہے گاہے (gāhe-gāhe) — occasionally
  • Welsh: o amser i amser — occasionally
  • Welsh: o dro i dro — occasionally
  • Welsh: ar dro — occasionally
  • Welsh: o bryd i'w gilydd — occasionally