now and then
Synonym of occasionally, sometimes, intermittently.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I visit my parents now and then.”
“Although he prefers to walk, he takes the bus to work now and then when it rains.”
“The old lighthouse keeper would gaze out at the horizon, watching the distant ships pass by now and then as the seasons slowly turned.”
The expression corresponds to the Dutch *nu en dan* and the West Frisian *no en dan*. The construction preserves a Germanic syntactic pattern for indicating intermittent frequency.
- 01
any time now
Very soon.
- 02
now and again
Synonym of occasionally, sometimes, intermittently.
- 03
now for
Used to introduce something that is to occur or be presented next.
- 04
now or never
At this sole opportunity or time, or not at all.
- 05
now you mention it
Used to precede another comment about something just mentioned.
- 06
now you're cooking
Used to praise someone for adopting a more effective or suitable method or approach, or to signal that progress is being made.
- 07
now you're talking
A phrase indicating agreement with a previously stated suggestion to change a course of action.
- 08
now, more than ever
Used to emphasize the increased urgency or importance of something in the present moment compared to any time in the past.
Last updated August 10, 2026