back and forth

English

Alternative forms

• back-and-forth

Adverb

back and forth

1. From one place to another and back again.

Translations

from one place to another and back again

• Arabic: ذهابًا وإيابًا (ar) (ḏahāban wa-ʾiyāban)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 來回 (cmn), 来回 (cmn) (láihuí)

• Finnish: edestakaisin (fi)
• French: aller-retour (fr) m, va-et-vient (fr) m
• German: hin und her (de)
• Italian: avanti e indietro (it)
• Japanese: 行ったり来たり (ja) (いったりきたり, ittari-kitari)

• Portuguese: vai e vem (pt) m, vaivém (pt) m
• Romanian: de colo-colo  (ro), de colo până colo  (ro), dintr-o parte în alta  (ro), de pe o parte pe alta  (ro), înainte şi înapoi (ro), încoace şi încolo (ro), peste tot  (ro), peste tot locul  (ro)
• Russian: туда и обратно (ru) (tudá i obrátno), туда-сюда (ru) (tudá-sjudá) (fast movement, possibly aimless), взад-вперёд (ru) (vzad-vperjód) (fast movement, possibly aimless)
• Serbo-Croatian: amo-tamo (sh)
• Turkish: ileri geri (tr)
• Vietnamese: tới lui (vi)

Adjective

back and forth (not comparable)

1. Going from one place or position to another and back again.

   The back and forth movement of the tide causes erosion of the coastline.

Translations

going from one place to another and back again

• Finnish: edestakainen (fi)

Noun

back and forth (plural back and forths)

1. The movement (of someone or something) forward followed by a return to the same position. May refer to a concept such as an emotional state or a relationship as well as a physical thing.
   • 2009, Dorothy Rich, Megaskills for Babies, Toddlers, and Beyond: Building Your Child's Happiness, page 43:

     Roll the ball to your child, who then rolls it back to you. After a few back-and-forths, roll the ball to a nearby corner of the room or other hiding place.

2. (idiomatic) Negotiations or discussions between two or more parties, a dialog.
   • 1895, United States Congress, “Congressional serial set”, volume 11214, page 718: 

     There's some back and forth between Simpson and his CIA counterparts and, in essence, the CIA says that you must ship all of the quantities requested.

Synonyms

• (negotiations): tug of war

Translations

movement (of someone or something) forward followed by a return to the same position

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 往返 (cmn) (wǎng-fǎn), 來回 (cmn), 来回 (cmn) (láihuí)

• Esperanto: oscilo (eo)

• Finnish: edestakainen liike (fi)
• French: va-et-vient (fr) m
• Japanese: 行ったり来たり (ja) (いったりきたり, ittari-kitari)

See also

• to and fro