: backward and forward
also
: between two places or persons
Synonyms
Examples of back-and-forth in a Sentence
Adverb
The chair rocked back and forth.
The children were shuttled back and forth between school and home.
Recent Examples on the Web
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Then, the back-and-forth between her and Mitchell continued on.
—Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
The referendum, which had a low turnout rate, didn’t settle the legal back-and-forth and internal power plays.
—Haleluya Hadero, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
As the stock’s price has rocked back-and-forth, former President Donald Trump, who owns a majority of the company’s shares, has seen his net worth move in tandem, falling from a high of about $5.2 billion down to about $2.9 billion.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024
The back-and-forth comes at a critical moment for Mejia.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
For the final theatrical version, the sequence includes a three-second close-up shot of the vaginal birth, which was originally about 13 seconds long before compromises were made in the editing room after several back-and-forths with the Motion Picture Association.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
Denny Hamlin got into a back-and-forth with Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith, setting NASCAR social media ablaze early Friday morning.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
The sphere also uses a bumper ring to limit its back-and-forth swing to around 59 inches in the event of an intense earthquake or typhoon-force winds.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
Local and federal officials in the Mexican state of Baja California and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are in chat groups with each other, texting back and forth about damage to the wall or sightings of migrants.
—David Culver, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, shaking the pan gently back and forth every 5 minutes or so.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
After months of back and forth with Meta, the function was restored, Polanco said, but Meta never explained why it had been restricted.
—Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Initially, Myers was flying back and forth between California and Texas, making time to maintain a relationship with his son while still being there for his daughter (and his business) in Dallas.
—Nick Kasmik, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
There has been much back and forth since then, with Masimo unsuccessfully trying to force Politan to disclose who’s investing in its fund.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
After a year of back and forth, when Andrew decided to speak publicly about Epstein, Thirsk already had a rapport with McAlister.
—Armani Syed, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
Additionally, Transit Windsor will be expanding the hours of operation of its bus service to help shuttle visitors back and forth to the football festivities.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
But in many ways, this particular back-and-forth bears little resemblance to the genre’s signature skirmishes of the past few decades.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Then, the back-and-forth between her and Mitchell continued on.
—Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
The referendum, which had a low turnout rate, didn’t settle the legal back-and-forth and internal power plays.
—Haleluya Hadero, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
As the stock’s price has rocked back-and-forth, former President Donald Trump, who owns a majority of the company’s shares, has seen his net worth move in tandem, falling from a high of about $5.2 billion down to about $2.9 billion.
—Rob Wile, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024
The back-and-forth comes at a critical moment for Mejia.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
For the final theatrical version, the sequence includes a three-second close-up shot of the vaginal birth, which was originally about 13 seconds long before compromises were made in the editing room after several back-and-forths with the Motion Picture Association.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
Denny Hamlin got into a back-and-forth with Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith, setting NASCAR social media ablaze early Friday morning.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
The sphere also uses a bumper ring to limit its back-and-forth swing to around 59 inches in the event of an intense earthquake or typhoon-force winds.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Adverb
Texting photos and funny memes back and forth from your phone to hers would have been a good way to establish a connection.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
Local and federal officials in the Mexican state of Baja California and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are in chat groups with each other, texting back and forth about damage to the wall or sightings of migrants.
—David Culver, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, shaking the pan gently back and forth every 5 minutes or so.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
After months of back and forth with Meta, the function was restored, Polanco said, but Meta never explained why it had been restricted.
—Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Initially, Myers was flying back and forth between California and Texas, making time to maintain a relationship with his son while still being there for his daughter (and his business) in Dallas.
—Nick Kasmik, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
There has been much back and forth since then, with Masimo unsuccessfully trying to force Politan to disclose who’s investing in its fund.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
After a year of back and forth, when Andrew decided to speak publicly about Epstein, Thirsk already had a rapport with McAlister.
—Armani Syed, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
Additionally, Transit Windsor will be expanding the hours of operation of its bus service to help shuttle visitors back and forth to the football festivities.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near back-and-forth
Cite this Entry
“Back-and-forth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back-and-forth. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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