: 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
Patrick Kulp, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
There's been a lot of jurisdictional back-and-forth between the federal government right now between federal troops, immigration authorities, mayors and governors.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
ABC News, 5 Oct. 2025
People rocked back and forth, some wiping tears with each passing lyric.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for back-and-forth
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Noun
Cen said one of the ways that AI developers might induce models to provide fairer political information is by encouraging more back-and-forth over issues and avoiding personalized responses.
—Patrick Kulp, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
There's been a lot of jurisdictional back-and-forth between the federal government right now between federal troops, immigration authorities, mayors and governors.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Adverb
There'll be some back and forth, Martha.
—ABC News, 5 Oct. 2025
People rocked back and forth, some wiping tears with each passing lyric.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 12 Oct. 2025.
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