to-and-fro

American  

[too-uhn-froh] / ˈtu ənˈfroʊ /

adjective

1. back-and-forth.

   to-and-fro motion.

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noun

plural

to-and-fros

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

• toing and froing noun

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

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

From BBC • May 29, 2024

Russian officials did not confirm those Ukrainian gains, which were impossible to verify and could be reversed in the to-and-fro of war.

From Washington Times • Jun. 13, 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

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