to-and-fro
1 of 3noun
ˌtü-ən-ˈfrō 
: activity involving alternating movement in opposite directions
the busy to-and-fro of the holiday shoppers
to-and-fro
2 of 3adjective
: forward and backward
to and fro
3 of 3adverb
: from one place to another
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Erin Douglass, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2022 Throughout the gala, guests floated to and fro, and an open ice bar hosted by Hennessy X.O towered above. Jamila Stewart, Vogue, 23 May 2022 Van and his brother jig madly to and fro, while Lanegan clings to the microphone stand in apparent desperation, cigarette in one hand, eyes closed. Jim Greer, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2022 On the broad path to the port the visitors milled to and fro. New York Times, 19 Apr. 2022 Émilie, whose family is Taiwanese, and who slips to and fro between Mandarin and French, is in luck. The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2022 Producing those bottles and shipping them to and fro accounted for more than 62 percent of the brand’s carbon footprint. Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2022 Baseball will get its CBA honeymoon as free agents bounce to and fro and big-league camps awaken our spring rituals. Bryce Miller Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2022 The blockchain world and its cryptocurrency are like a Silicon Valley tilt-a-whirl whipping us to and fro with summits and valleys. Larry Dvoskin, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2021 See More
Adverb
Attention is very much being paid on the daily trips to and fro. Erin Douglass, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2022 Throughout the gala, guests floated to and fro, and an open ice bar hosted by Hennessy X.O towered above. Jamila Stewart, Vogue, 23 May 2022 Van and his brother jig madly to and fro, while Lanegan clings to the microphone stand in apparent desperation, cigarette in one hand, eyes closed. Jim Greer, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2022 On the broad path to the port the visitors milled to and fro. New York Times, 19 Apr. 2022 Émilie, whose family is Taiwanese, and who slips to and fro between Mandarin and French, is in luck. The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2022 Producing those bottles and shipping them to and fro accounted for more than 62 percent of the brand’s carbon footprint. Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2022 Baseball will get its CBA honeymoon as free agents bounce to and fro and big-league camps awaken our spring rituals. Bryce Miller Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2022 The blockchain world and its cryptocurrency are like a Silicon Valley tilt-a-whirl whipping us to and fro with summits and valleys. Larry Dvoskin, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1553, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
1749, in the meaning defined above
Adverb
14th century, in the meaning defined above