to-and-fro

[ too-uhn-froh ]

adjective

1. back-and-forth:

   to-and-fro motion.

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

adjective

1. back and forth
2. here and there

Derived Forms

• ˈtoing and ˈfroing, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of to-and-fro¹

First recorded in 1820–30; adj. and noun use of adv. phrase to and (fro) ( def 2 )

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

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

From Los Angeles Times

A severed hose dribbling water as it twitches to and fro is our first clue as to the effect the fibers are going to have when they make contact with human bodies.

From New York Times

"There's still a long way to go and I'm sure it'll be to and fro between now and the very last game," he said.

From BBC

De Jaen jiggers a handle on top of the gray box, which tilts the glass to and fro.

From Seattle Times

As things go bad and then seriously bad, Cowperthwaite keeps the pieces efficiently shuffling to and fro.

From New York Times