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

Months of back-and-forth led to the rescue operation, Fazio said.

From Los Angeles Times

During this back-and-forth, disagreements and pushback can surface.

From Slate

And an earnest back-and-forth, especially with a skilled orator championing this cause, can be an eye-opening moment for many.

From Slate

He was a professed Christian and a provocateur who took his message to places that were often hostile; he welcomed a back-and-forth with those who disagreed with his views.

From Salon

“Our safeguards work more reliably in common, short exchanges. We have learned over time that these safeguards can sometimes be less reliable in long interactions: as the back-and-forth grows, parts of the model’s safety training may degrade,” the company wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

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.