back-and-forth

1 of 2

noun

ˈbak-ən(d)-ˈfȯrth 

: discussion sense 1, give-and-take

also : exchange sense 1

back and forth

2 of 2

adverb

: backward and forward

also : between two places or persons

Synonyms of back-and-forth

Noun

• exchange

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

The back-and-forth doesn’t lend itself to the rhetoric of de-escalation that Wall Street had been hoping for. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 July 2026

The back-and-forth underscores how national monuments have become a flashpoint over the management of public lands. — ABC News, 13 July 2026

Adverb

Attorneys argued back and forth on the matter for hours in a Utah courtroom on July 8 during a weeklong preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson. — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 9 July 2026

In practical terms, a solution is truly native when it is built specifically for its host environment and functions without requiring external infrastructure, separate data storage, or middleware to move information back and forth. — Brian Stimpfl, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1941, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1613, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for back-and-forth

• fourth
• henceforth
• thenceforth