to-and-fro

American  

[too-uhn-froh] / ˈtu ənˈfroʊ /

adjective

1. back-and-forth.

   to-and-fro motion.

---

noun

plural

to-and-fros

1. a continuous or regular movement backward and forward; an alternating movement, flux, flow, etc..

   the to-and-fro of the surf.

to and fro British  

adjective

1. back and forth

2. here and there

---

to and fro Idioms  

1. Back and forth, as in He was like a caged animal, pacing to and fro. Strictly speaking, to means “toward” and fro “away from,” but this idiom is used more vaguely in the sense of “moving alternately in different directions.” [First half of 1300s]

---

Other Word Forms

• toing and froing noun

Etymology

Origin of to-and-fro

First recorded in 1820–30; adj. and noun use of adv. phrase to and (fro) ( def. 2 )

Example Sentences

Slogans are easy, and they sound really tough, but it’s a little different when you get into the to-and-fro.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2025

The fixture began a turbulent period of to-and-fro between the sides.

From BBC • May 29, 2024

When the ground began to shake, rocking her bed to-and-fro like a raft in a current, Temilade Openiyi briefly wondered if she was dreaming.

From New York Times • May 23, 2024

Circe’s paws splayed out on the floor, her head shook to-and-fro and she drooled.

From Washington Times • May 2, 2023

There is far less to-and-fro movement between the different groups than happened under capitalism or even in the pre-industrial ages.

From "1984" by George Orwell