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• 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.

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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

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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]

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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

I got into a joking to-and-fro with a friend this week about daylight saving time.

From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2023

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

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2021

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

Now motorcycles move constantly to and fro, carrying men, women, children and cargo,emptying the town of all remnants of civilization, even the roofs of the buildings.

From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 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

Thankfully, after a bit of to and fro, they did let a few broadcast cameras in so we could watch outside and you could watch too, if you chose to.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025

“Viv Ansanm manje li!” they chanted loudly in Haitian Creole as they walked to and fro, the coffin swaying gently with their 16-year-old friend inside.

From Seattle Times ● May 18, 2024

She carried a frilly parasol against the sun, and twirled it to and fro in irritation.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood