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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

The fixture began a turbulent period of to-and-fro between the sides.

From BBC ● May 29, 2024

When the ground began to shake, rocking her bed to-and-fro like a raft in a current, Temilade Openiyi briefly wondered if she was dreaming.

From New York Times ● May 23, 2024

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

From Washington Times ● May 2, 2023

The pandemic might have something to do with accelerating the story shift; in real life, fathers have been taking a bigger role in the to-and-fro of family life during lockdown, and movies are catching up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2022

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

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

She bustled to and fro, greeting regulars with gruff warmth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2024

Panting and sweating, a large mob of rats dashed to and fro burdened by the battering ram.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques