back-and-forth

1 of 2

noun

back and forth

2 of 2

adverb

: backward and forward
also : between two places or persons

Examples of back-and-forth in a Sentence

Noun after the usual back-and-forth of official gifts, the two leaders entered into a serious discussion the others listened with relish to the back-and-forth between the two noted professors Adverb The chair rocked back and forth. The children were shuttled back and forth between school and home.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
If the divisions opened up by the protests were litigated in an endless back-and-forth of Title VI complaints, fought in the zero-sum realm of the law, then the school would fail at one of the oldest concepts in education: the moral development of its students. Charles Homans Gabra Zackman Anna Diamond Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 29 May 2024 The rap stars’ months-long back-and-forth has captured the attention of everyone from Tom Hanks to Uma Thurman, who offered Drake her Kill Bill costume. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 28 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for back-and-forth 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'back-and-forth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1941, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1613, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of back-and-forth was in 1613

Dictionary Entries Near back-and-forth

back and forth

back-and-forth

back-and-forthing

Cite this Entry

“Back-and-forth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back-and-forth. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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