back-and-forth

[bak-uhn-fawrth, -fohrth, -uhnd-]

adjective

1. backward and forward; side to side; to and fro.

   a back-and-forth shuttling of buses to the stadium; the back-and-forth movement of a clock's pendulum.

noun

1. unresolved argument or discussion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of back and forth¹

First recorded in 1605–15

Idioms and Phrases

Also, backward(s) and forward(s). To and fro, moving in one direction and then the opposite and so making no progress in either. For example, The clock pendulum swung back and forth. The term is also used figuratively, as in The lawyers argued the point backwards and forwards for an entire week. [c. 1600]

Example Sentences

It was a back-and-forth match that at times lacked quality on both sides of the net, with a combined total of 22 double faults and 93 unforced errors.

From BBC

In an intense back-and-forth battle Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, the Sparks ultimately suffered a 76-75 loss to the Indiana Fever that hindered their push for a playoff spot.

From Los Angeles Times

After years of back-and-forth, they finally ended up on President Cyril Ramaphosa's desk for his signature in 2024.

From BBC

It was out of that back-and-forth banter that Bowden and Freeman formed a close bond.

From Los Angeles Times

Shifting to football prompted the addition of Bayless, whose spirited back-and-forth on social media with Arenas grew into a professional relationship.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What does back-and-forth mean?

Back-and-forth is a noun that means an argument or discussion in which little gets resolved.Back-and-forth is also used to describe something having a movement pattern in which it repeatedly moves somewhere and returns to where it started.A back-and-forth is a discussion where two or more people are failing to reach a compromise or a solution, as in I had a very long back-and-forth with my girlfriend about what to do with my dog.A back-and-forth is a much less productive version of a give-and-take, where people more easily reach a compromise.As an adjective, back-and-forth describes a movement from one point to another and then back to the original point, as in The audience stared at the back-and-forth movements of the hypnotist’s watch. Such a movement might be forward and backward and forward again or from one side to another and back to the first side.Example: The budget discussion became an intense back-and-forth where neither side wanted to concede anything.