to and fro
English
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
to and fro
- /ˌtuː ən(d)ˈfɹəʊ/
adverb to-and-fro
- Back and forth; with a reciprocating motion. A light tossing to and fro and still rapidly advancing showed that one of the newcomers carried a lantern.
verb tos and fros · to and fros · toing and froing · to and froing · toed and froed
- To go back and forth; to alternate. "For a while I didn't tell anyone on the ward where I was going, but my toing and froing made people curious and eventually I confided in a few."
adjective to-and-fro
- Pertaining to something or someone moving forward and back to the same position. The next day he had more power of moving his limbs, and the to and fro sound was thought to be a little less distinct.
noun to and fros · tos and fros · to-and-fro
- 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. My life's a maze of seeming traps, A scene of mercies and mishaps; A heap of jarring to and fros, A field of joys, A field of woes.
Translations
Every language
adv back and forth
| Español | palante y patrás, para adelante y para atrás, de ida y de vuelta, en vaivén |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 이리저리 irijeori |
| 日本語 | 行ったり来たり ittarikitari |
| 中文 | 來回 /来回 láihuí, 來來回回 /来来回回 láiláihuíhuí |
| Português | para frente e para trás |
| Français | d'avant en arrière |
| Deutsch | hin und her, hin und zurück, vor und zurück |
| Italiano | avanti e indietro |
| Ελληνικά | μπρος πίσω bros píso |
| Русский | туда́-сюда́ tudá-sjudá, взад и вперёд vzad i vperjód |
verb pertaining to something in to and fro motion
| Español | vaivenearse |
|---|
adj pertaining to something in to and fro motion
| Español | de vaivén |
|---|
noun a to and fro motion
| Español | vaiveneo |
|---|---|
| Français | aller-retour, va-et-vient |
| Ελληνικά | πηγαινέλα pigainéla |
Talk about this word "to and fro." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/to%20and%20fro. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. to and fro. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/to%20and%20fro "to and fro." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/to%20and%20fro.
Cite this
MLA
APA
Chicago
BibTeX
@misc{to_and_fro_2026,
title = {to and fro},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/to%20and%20fro},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
