The idiom in fits and starts describes progress that is irregular, uneven, and interrupted, rather than steady and smooth. If a project moves forward in fits and starts, it advances in short bursts, stalls for a while, advances again, and then stalls once more. The phrase is useful because it captures a pattern that many people recognise from work, study, exercise, writing, and home projects: enthusiasm at the start, a pause when life intervenes, a sudden rush of effort, and then another quiet period. This guide explains the meaning clearly, shows how to use it correctly, and helps you tell it apart from similar idioms.
Idioms like this one survive because they describe experience better than a literal description. Saying “progress was irregular” is accurate, but it sounds flat. Saying “progress came in fits and starts” paints a picture of stopping and starting that a listener can feel. The phrase is informal enough for conversation and clear enough for writing, which is why it appears in news reports, biographies, sports commentary, and everyday emails. Learning it well gives you a precise tool for describing a very common kind of progress.
In Fits and Starts Meaning Explained
The core in fits and starts meaning is “with irregular bursts of activity separated by pauses.” A “fit” in this old sense is a sudden burst or spasm of activity, while a “start” is a sudden movement forward. Together, they describe a rhythm that is not continuous. A writer who works in fits and starts might write ten pages in a weekend, write nothing for three weeks, and then write five pages in a single evening. A renovation that proceeds in fits and starts might see a burst of building work, a long wait for materials, another burst, and then a pause for budget reasons. The pattern, not the cause, is what the phrase describes.
The phrase usually carries a mildly negative or frustrated tone, because steady progress is often preferred. A manager who says a project moved in fits and starts is usually suggesting that it lacked consistency, planning, or resources. However, the tone is not always critical. Sometimes the pauses are unavoidable, and the phrase simply describes reality without blame. A student balancing work and study, a parent with young children, or an athlete recovering from injury may all progress in fits and starts through no fault of their own. Context decides whether the phrase sounds like criticism or sympathy.
Why the plural form matters
The idiom is almost always plural: fits and starts, not fit and start. The plural form emphasises repetition. One pause does not make a pattern, but several bursts and several pauses do. That repetition is the point. If you say a task happened “in a fit,” you might mean a single sudden effort. If you say it happened “in fits and starts,” you mean the whole process was uneven from beginning to end. Keeping the plural form also helps listeners recognise the idiom instantly, because the fixed phrase is familiar.
In Fits and Starts in Everyday Examples
Consider a few everyday uses. “She learned the piano in fits and starts, practising intensely for a month and then barely touching it for weeks.” That sentence tells a complete story in one line: enthusiasm, pause, return, pause. “The roadworks proceeded in fits and starts, with long quiet stretches between bursts of digging.” That sentence explains why drivers felt frustrated, without needing a detailed timetable. “His recovery came in fits and starts, with good days followed by setbacks.” That sentence is gentle, because it describes a difficult process without suggesting failure.
The phrase works for groups and organisations as well as individuals. A campaign can grow in fits and starts as publicity rises and falls. A new habit can form in fits and starts as motivation changes. A friendship can deepen in fits and starts when busy lives allow only occasional meetings. In each case, the phrase does two jobs at once: it describes the uneven rhythm, and it implies that the overall direction is still forward, even if the pace is uneven. That second implication matters, because it distinguishes the idiom from phrases that mean no progress at all.
Using it in a sentence
The idiom usually follows a verb of progress or activity. Common patterns include “work proceeded in fits and starts,” “the project advanced in fits and starts,” “she wrote in fits and starts,” and “the talks progressed in fits and starts.” It can also appear at the start of a clause for emphasis: “In fits and starts, the team rebuilt its lead.” Avoid forcing it into a sentence where steady progress is the point, because the idiom will contradict your meaning. If progress was smooth, choose “steadily,” “consistently,” or “without interruption” instead.
In Fits and Starts Compared With Similar Idioms
English has several idioms for uneven progress, and in fits and starts sits among them with a specific shade of meaning. “Stop and go” describes traffic or a process that literally halts and moves, often in short cycles. “Two steps forward, one step back” describes progress that includes setbacks, where some gains are lost. “On and off” describes something that happens intermittently, often over a long period, without implying bursts of effort. “In fits and starts” emphasises bursts: periods of real activity, not merely periods when something is switched on or off.
It also differs from “by fits and starts,” which is a less common variant with the same meaning. Most modern style guides prefer “in fits and starts,” and readers recognise that form more quickly. Another near neighbour is “in dribs and drabs,” which describes small, scattered amounts arriving gradually, such as money or information. That phrase emphasises small quantities, while “in fits and starts” emphasises uneven timing. Choosing the right idiom depends on what you want to stress: timing, quantity, setbacks, or simple intermittence.
| Phrase | Main emphasis | Example use |
|---|---|---|
| In fits and starts | Bursts of activity separated by pauses | The novel was written in fits and starts. |
| Stop and go | Repeated halting and moving | Traffic was stop and go all morning. |
| Two steps forward, one step back | Progress with setbacks | Reform moved two steps forward, one step back. |
| On and off | Intermittent over time | It rained on and off all day. |
| In dribs and drabs | Small amounts arriving gradually | Donations arrived in dribs and drabs. |
The History Behind In Fits and Starts
The history of in fits and starts helps explain why it sounds slightly old-fashioned yet still feels natural. The word “fit” once described a sudden attack, spasm, or paroxysm, as in a fit of coughing or a fit of laughter. A “start” described a sudden movement, as when a person starts at a loud noise. Combining them gave a vivid image of sudden, jerky motion, which was then applied figuratively to work and progress. Over centuries, the literal medical and physical senses faded from the idiom, while the figurative sense of uneven activity remained.
That history also explains why the idiom feels physical. Readers can almost see the stopping and starting when they hear it, because the words themselves suggest sudden movement. Modern speakers rarely think about the origin when they use it, but the image still does quiet work in the background. It is a reminder that many idioms began as concrete descriptions and then became abstract tools for describing work, learning, and life. Understanding that journey makes the phrase easier to remember, because the image and the meaning reinforce each other.
Writing With In Fits and Starts: Style and Tone
In writing, in fits and starts is a good choice when you want to be concise and vivid. A single phrase can replace a paragraph explaining that progress was uneven, that effort came in bursts, and that pauses interrupted the work. It suits news writing, biography, memoir, and reflective essays, where a human rhythm matters. It is less suited to highly technical writing, where a precise schedule or a measured rate of progress would be clearer. In a project report, for example, “progress was uneven, with active phases in March and June and pauses in April and May” gives information that the idiom alone cannot.
Tone also matters. Because the phrase often implies frustration, use it carefully when describing someone else’s work. In a performance review, saying a colleague worked in fits and starts can sound like criticism, even if you meant only to describe a busy period. A softer alternative, such as “progress was intermittent due to competing priorities,” carries the same information with less judgement. In your own writing, however, the phrase can be honest and relatable. Admitting that your own project moved in fits and starts often builds trust, because readers recognise the pattern in their own lives.
Readers who enjoy learning idioms and everyday expressions may also like our guides to other plain-English meanings. For a long word explained with short examples, see what all-encompassing means. For another expression explained step by step, see the meaning behind the 888 tattoo. Both follow the same method as this guide: a clear definition first, then examples that show the phrase in real use.
Frequently Asked Questions About In Fits and Starts
What does in fits and starts mean?
It means progress or activity that happens in irregular bursts separated by pauses, rather than steadily and continuously. The overall direction is usually forward, but the pace is uneven.
Is in fits and starts negative?
It is often mildly negative, because steady progress is usually preferred, but it is not always critical. It can simply describe an uneven process caused by busy schedules, limited resources, or unavoidable interruptions.
Can I say “by fits and starts” instead?
Yes, that variant exists and means the same thing, but “in fits and starts” is more common and more widely recognised. For clarity, use the “in” form unless you are quoting a source that uses “by.”
Is the phrase formal or informal?
It sits in the middle. It is acceptable in many kinds of writing, including news and biography, but it is too idiomatic for highly technical or legal writing, where precise timing and quantities should be stated directly.
What is a plain alternative to in fits and starts?
Try “unevenly,” “intermittently,” “in bursts,” or “with frequent pauses.” Each alternative is clearer in formal writing, while the idiom is more vivid in conversational writing.
Conclusion
To conclude, in fits and starts is a compact, vivid idiom for progress that advances in bursts and pauses, rather than in a smooth, steady line. It describes writers, workers, athletes, projects, and recoveries with a rhythm that readers instantly recognise, and it carries a gentle hint of frustration without necessarily assigning blame. Use it when uneven timing is the point, choose a plainer alternative when precision matters, and keep the plural form that makes the idiom recognisable. With that understanding, you can read the phrase accurately whenever you meet it and use it confidently whenever your own progress, like so much real progress, moves forward in fits and starts.
