back-and-forth

[bak-uhn-fawrth, -fohrth, -uhnd-]

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.

noun

1. unresolved argument or discussion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of back-and-forth¹

First recorded in 1605–15

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

The back-and-forth of the emerald ring was enough to put one in mind of the children’s game called hot potato, which has nothing to do with cooked spuds or even warm globes.

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Benn took control from the first round and dominated against Eubank in a fight completely different from the back-and-forth classic in April.

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Jonpaul Pezzo, owner of the NYC Bud dispensary, describes a monthslong back-and-forth with OCM for final approval on his latest store.

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These stories of Hujar’s day come through in a mildly sardonic back-and-forth, Ms. Hall’s Rosenkrantz a sympathetic partner in the knowing dialogue that unfolds between them.

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For the first time, American presidential candidates debated on live television, and Khrushchev was fascinated by the back-and-forth combat.

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When To Use

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.