Jump To:

• to-and-fro
  to-and-fro

  adjective

  back-and-forth.
• to and fro
  to and fro

  adjective

  back and forth

to-and-fro

American  

[too-uhn-froh] / ˈtu ənˈfroʊ /

adjective

1. back-and-forth.

   to-and-fro motion.

---

noun

to-and-fros plural

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

Derived Forms

• toing and froing
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• to-and-fros
  plural

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

See Examples For:

to-and-fro to and fro

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

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

From Washington Times ● May 2, 2023

It's not like in America where you have that public to-and-fro.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2021

Once in a while, the to-and-fro produces a comedic masterstroke.

From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2020

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

Imagine if you’re a nominee, getting shuttled to and fro, shaking hands and making small talk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026

The autumn operation exposed flaws too: The land couldn’t accommodate all the vehicles, said Lemmermann, and it consisted of noncontiguous plots, forcing Rheinmetall to bus soldiers to and fro.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

Shelters have been opened for those displaced from their homes, and helicopters were flying to and fro to bring essentials to people cut off from the rest of the world.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025

Team principal Frederic Vasseur characterises what is sometimes broadcast from the team radio as the standard to and fro between driver and engineer.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2025

A gasp came up from some housewives who had stopped to gossip on the sidewalk while going to and fro about their shopping.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith