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• back-and-forth
  back-and-forth

  adjective

  backward and forward; side to side; to and fro.
• back and forth
  back and forth

  Also, backward(s) and forward(s). To and fro, moving in one direction and then the opposite and so making no progress in either. For example, The clock pendulum swung back and forth. The term is also used figuratively, as in The lawyers argued the point backwards and forwards for an entire week. [c. 1600]

back-and-forth

American  

[bak-uhn-fawrth, -fohrth, -uhnd-] / ˈbæk ənˈfɔrθ, -ˈfoʊrθ, -ənd- /

adjective

1. backward and forward; side to side; to and fro.

   a back-and-forth shuttling of buses to the stadium; the back-and-forth movement of a clock's pendulum.

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noun

1. unresolved argument or discussion.

back and forth Idioms  

1. Also, backward(s) and forward(s). To and fro, moving in one direction and then the opposite and so making no progress in either. For example, The clock pendulum swung back and forth. The term is also used figuratively, as in The lawyers argued the point backwards and forwards for an entire week. [c. 1600]

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Usage

What does back-and-forth mean? Back-and-forth is a noun that means an argument or discussion in which little gets resolved. Back-and-forth is also used to describe something having a movement pattern in which it repeatedly moves somewhere and returns to where it started. A back-and-forth is a discussion where two or more people are failing to reach a compromise or a solution, as in I had a very long back-and-forth with my girlfriend about what to do with my dog. A back-and-forth is a much less productive version of a give-and-take, where people more easily reach a compromise. As an adjective, back-and-forth describes a movement from one point to another and then back to the original point, as in The audience stared at the back-and-forth movements of the hypnotist’s watch. Such a movement might be forward and backward and forward again or from one side to another and back to the first side. Example: The budget discussion became an intense back-and-forth where neither side wanted to concede anything.

Etymology

Origin of back-and-forth

First recorded in 1605–15

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

back-and-forth back and forth

But the hours-long back-and-forth ultimately didn't lead to a clearer answer about what might come next for Clancy - a dismissal of charges, retrial of the same charges, or retrial of lesser charges.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

The back-and-forth is leaving some investors with a case of whiplash.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

Game 6 of that matchup is often picked as the greatest in series history—because of its back-and-forth lead changes, its several great defensive plays and what happened in the bottom of the 12th inning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Probably not many, so it’s not like this one-hour back-and-forth tips the scale.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

He remembered the exhausting climb up the endless flight of stairs afterward, the winding, the dizzying back-and-forth.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner

To maximize overall deductions, some taxpayers will find it pays to switch back and forth from standard to itemized in different years, and to “bunch” deductions into years when they’re itemizing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Astronomers can use these changes to search for planets because an orbiting planet's gravity causes its host star to move slightly back and forth.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

Do you and your friends discuss your savings, debt and salary, or do you just complain about how expensive brunch has gotten and send the same $20 back and forth to each other on Venmo?

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

Three City Section running backs — Tru Warrior Casas of Fairfax, Ceasar Reyes of Garfield and Brandon Hernandez of Panorama — are going back and forth leading the state in rushing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

Most of the chairs had been removed, allowing the line to zigzag back and forth while people waited to see P.J.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

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