to-and-fro

noun \ ˌtü-ən-ˈfrō \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of to-and-fro

: activity involving alternating movement in opposite directions

the busy to-and-fro of the holiday shoppers

First Known Use of to-and-fro

1553

to-and-fro

adjective

Definition of to-and-fro

: forward and backward

See to-and-fro defined for kids

First Known Use of to-and-fro

1749

to and fro

adverb

Definition of to and fro

: from one place to another

Recent Examples of to and fro from the Web

Lyette and David, who don't have any household help but do have two tortoises and a dog, ferry them to and fro activities in their 17-seater Dodge Sprinter.

— Fox News, "Florida 'supermom' of 16 home schools kids, shuttles them to 88 sports practices weekly," 11 Apr. 2018
From here, the two women mosey around—indulging a superfan, fending off paparazzi, driving to and fro, doing karaoke, and ending up at Heather’s house.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "“Unsane” and “Gemini”," 21 Aug. 2017
It was built to bring people to and fro between downtown and our hottest startup neighborhood.

— danny westneat, The Seattle Times, "Getting clearer all the time: City should ban cars from South Lake Union," 21 Mar. 2018
Even though her head bobbed to and fro in the mask, the brain activity recorded was practically identical to that of the fixed scanner, the researchers report today in Nature.

— michael price, Science | AAAS, "This wearable brain scanner could transform our understanding of how neurons ‘talk’," 21 Mar. 2018
Perhaps reliving some forgone glories along the base paths, or just trying to outrun rising inebriation, the Stripers launched themselves to and fro as the crowd bellowed for more.

— the masked observer, AL.com, "Mystic Stripers light the Masked Observer's Mardi Gras weekend fuse," 12 Feb. 2018
Minis are designed for tossing unsuspecting passengers to and fro, and sure enough, members of the Sturgis family were bandied about like passengers on the SS Minnow.

— scott sturgis, Philly.com, "Countryman hybrid is not about the fuel savings," 8 Mar. 2018
Waddling to and fro is tough enough; these folks have to be able to swim through white water in them.

— steve hendrix, Washington Post, "‘Extremely dangerous’: For rescuers, icy Potomac presents an opportunity — and hazards," 6 Jan. 2018
Much like last season’s glossy, shellacked strands, the shiny, serpentine braids gleamed under the bright lights, swaying to and fro as hips swiveled down the runway to seductive effect.

— lauren valenti, Vogue, "Alexander McQueen Turns the Dominatrix Braid Into a Paris Fashion Week Fetish," 5 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'to and fro.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of to and fro

14th century

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to and fro

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