backward and forward

Idioms  

1. Also, backwards and forwards.

2. Same as back and forth .

3. Thoroughly, completely, as in He read the speech over and over, until he knew it backwards and forwards . [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

Language, which evolved within the past 200,000 years, endowed our species with the ability to plan for the future and reflect on the past, thus extending our selves backward and forward in time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

In the Scientific Reports study, the scientists designed various tasks to assess the participants’ ability to produce words backward and forward.

From Scientific American • Oct. 12, 2023

"Kinross is also really bad for taxis, so we're providing another service that get people backward and forward - it's provided a social element to a small village."

From BBC • Aug. 23, 2023

“Try singing double-time and make sure your mouth is reading perfectly. In the second episode, we go backward and forward in time, and I had to sing backwards.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2023

Werfel played with the doorknob, twisting it backward and forward, listening to the click of the latch.

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin