plural to-ings and fro-ings
: a passing back and forth

Examples of to-ing and fro-ing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and eventually, some sort of resolution was reached. Gary Graff, cleveland, 23 Sep. 2022 Still, all the to-ing and fro-ing in splendid carriages was free for oohing and aahing to anyone who could crowd along the procession route. Patt Morrison, latimes.com, 17 May 2018 There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, but Peter Straughan is a very clever screenwriter, and his first draft was very, very sound. Hillary Kelly, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2022 Then there’s Sarah’s fatigue with hard-to-please customers in her decorator business, seen in repeated to-ing and fro-ing to find the right wall sconce. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2023 Monday’s development follows much to-ing and fro-ing between Standard Bank and the South African authorities. Renee Bonorchis, Bloomberg.com, 18 Sep. 2017 There’s some excellent Albee-esque relational to-ing and fro-ing among Roy, Carl and Shannon, the wife Carl brings to Os from Canada. Richard Lipez, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2020

Word History

Etymology

to and fro

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of to-ing and fro-ing was in 1847

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Cite this Entry

“To-ing and fro-ing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/to-ing%20and%20fro-ing. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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