Idioms

every now and then

This page is about the idiom every now and then

Meaning

If something happens every now and then, it happens occasionally, but not too often.

For example

  • Every now and then we stay in bed all day and watch old movies on TV.

  • I go and have a lovely full-body massage every now and then, and I always feel great afterwards.

Note:
"Every now and again", "every so often" and "every once in a while" have the same meaning. We can also say "now and then", "now and again" and "once in a while" to mean the same thing.

Quick Quiz

While I was living in New York, every now and then I would

a. get out of bed

b. go to see a baseball game

c. see another person
a) get out of bed b) go to see a baseball game c) see another person

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Common English Idioms

Contributor: Matt Errey